34th  Congress, 
ls£  Session. 


HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 


Report 
No.  274. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


July  24,  1856. — Ordered  to  be  printed. 

July  28,  1856. — Resolved,  That  ten  thousand  extra  copies  of  the  Majority  and  two 
Minority  Reports  of  the  Select  Committee  on  the  subject  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  be  printed 
for  the  use  of  the  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives  ;  said  reports  to  be  stitched 
together  for  distribution. 


Mr.  Denver,  from  the  Select  Committee,  gave  notice  that,  when  in 

order,  he  would  submit  the  following 

REPORT. 

The  Select  Committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  hill  to  provide  for  the 
establishment  of  railroad  and  telegraphic  communication  between  the 
Atlantic  States  and  the  Pacific  ocean ,  and  for  other  purposes ,  beg 
leave  to  make  the  following  report: 

The  necessity  that  exists  for  constructing  lines  of  railroad  and  tele¬ 
graphic  communication  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts  of  this 
continent  is  no  longer  a  question  for  argument ;  it  is  conceded  by 
every  one.  In  order  to  maintain  our  present  position  on  the  Pacific, 
we  must  have  some  more  speedy  and  direct  means  of  intercourse  than 
is  at  present  afforded  by  the  route  through  the  possessions  of  a  foreign 
power. 

The  importance  of  our  Pacific  possessions  is  felt  in  ever}r  pursuit 
and  in  every  relation  of  life.  The  gold  of  California  has  furnished 
the  merchant  and  trader  with  a  capital  by  which  enterprises  have 
been  undertaken  and  accomplished  which  were  before  deemed  im¬ 
practicable.  Our  commercial  marine  has  been  nearly  doubled  since 
1848;  internal  improvements  have  been  pushed  forward  with  aston¬ 
ishing  rapidity  ;  the  value  of  every  kind  of  property  has  been  doubled; 
and  the  evidences  of  prosperity  and  thrift  are  everywhere  to  be  seen. 
The  security  and  protection  of  that  country  from  whence  have  ema¬ 
nated  nearly  all  these  satisfactory  results,  is  of  the  greatest  import¬ 
ance;  and  that  can  be  accomplished  only  by  direct  and  easy  commu¬ 
nications  through  our  own  territories.  Railroads  will  effect  this.  At 
present,  we  are  forced  to  resort  to  a  very  circuitous  route  by  sea, 
through  the  tropics  and  across  the  continent,  at  the  most  sickly  point 
in  the  torrid  zone.  Should  a  war  break  out  between  our  countrv  and 
any  other  maritime  nation,  or  should  a  difficulty  arise  with  one  of  the 
petty  Spanisli-American  States  through  which  these  routes  lie,  our 
communications  would  be  interrupted,  and  the  unity  of  our  confederacy 
actually  broken  up. 

Looking  to  these  facts  alone  to  secure  the  construction  of  these 
lines  of  communication,  has  given  to  them  such  an  importance  as 
never  attached  to  any  work  of  internal  improvements  since  the  time 
when,  during  President  Jefferson’s  administration,  it  was  thought  ne- 


2 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


cessary  to  connect  the  States  lying  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard  with  the 
States  lying  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  by  means  of  roads  across 
the  Alleghany  mountains.  Insignificant  as  such  an  undertaking  as 
the  building  of  a  wagon  road  across  the  Alleghanies  may  appear  now, 
the  proposition  was  then  deemed  exceedingly  difficult  and  occupied 
quite  as  much  of  the  public  attention  as  the  Pacific  railroad  does  at 
the  present  time.  The  States  were  then  separated  only  by  the  moun¬ 
tain  range  of  the  Alleghanies,  but  the  western  country  was  so  remote 
and  access  to  it  so  difficult,  that  the  construction  of  a  road  was  con¬ 
sidered  absolutely  necessary,  and  sufficient  to  authorize  the  earnest 
attention  of  Congress.  The  people  of  the  western  frontier  were  at 
that  time  exposed  to  frequent  incursions  of  the  Indians.  The  coun¬ 
try  was  exceedingly  fertile,  but  the  markets  were  so  distant  that  the 
productions  were  an  incumbrance  rather  than  a  profit  to  the  farmer, 
and  vast  tracts  of  rich  agricultural  lands  were  suffered  to  remain  an 
unbroken  waste.  The  action  of  the  government  attracted  public  at¬ 
tention,  and  awakened  private  enterprise.  Canals  were  projected, 
and  then  followed  railroads,  until  every  part  of  that  country,  which 
was  but  a  few  years  ago  called  the  “  far  west,”  has  been  brought 
within  three  or  four  days’  communication  with  the  cities  on  the  sea¬ 
board,  giving  a  new  impulse  to  commerce,  increasing  the  value  of 
property,  and  relieving  the  frontiers  from  all  the  dangers  of  a  hostile 
foe.  No  better  example  can  be  given  of  the  benefits  resulting  from 
the  construction  of  railroads,  to  both  public  and  private  property,  than 
that  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  On  the  line  of  that  road  the 
public  lands  had  been  offered  for  sale  many  years  without  finding  a 
purchaser,  and  were  at  last  reduced  to  the  lowest  minimum  price, 
twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  acre.  Even  this  reduction  was  not  suffi¬ 
cient  to  induce  their  sale ;  but  after  the  government  had  given 
away  one-half  to  assist  in  building  the  road,  the  other  half  was  very 
readily  sold  for  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  per  acre.  Similar  results 
have  followed  the  building  of  nearly  every  other  railroad  in  the  coun¬ 
try,  although  in  many  instances,  as  in  this,  the  roads  came  in  direct 
competition  with  river  and  canal  transportation. 

A  railroad  across  the  continent  would  open  up  a  vast  extent  of  coun¬ 
try  to  settlement,  and  much  of  what  is  now  believed  to  be  sterile  and 
barren  will,  no  doubt,  (as  in  California)  be  found  to  yield  bountifully 
to  the  agriculturist. 

These  lands  are  now  totally  without  value,  no  matter  how  fertile 
they  may  be,  and  to  the  government  worthless.  By  giving  away  one 
half'  for  the  construction  of  the  proposed  roads,  the  government  will 
thereby  attach  a  value  to  the  remainder  ;  and  whatever  that  value 
may  be,  will  be  the  amount  the  government  is  gainer  by  the  transac¬ 
tion,  Your  committee  have  not  thought  proper  to  step  aside  from 
the  long  established  system  of  the  government  in  granting  lands  only 
to  aid  in  the  construction  of  the  roads  under  consideration,  except  in¬ 
cidentally,  in  the  payment  for  transportation  of  troops,  munitions  of 
war,  &e.,  and  for  carrying  the  mails  ;  at  the  same  time  they  have  en¬ 
deavored  to  extend  to  every  portion  of  the- country  an  equal  share  of 
the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  it.  Every  part  of  the  country,  extend¬ 
ing  from  Lake  Superior  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  is  brought  in  direct 


PH^p 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


3 


contact  with  one  or  the  other  of  the  proposed  roads,  and  from  the 
western  frontiers  of  the  States  lying  west  of  the  Mississippi,  connex¬ 
ions  are  easily  made  with  roads  already  completed  to  the  cities  on  the 
Atlantic  seaboard. 

By  thus  combining  all  the  great  interests  of  the  country,  an  effort 
has  been  made  to  allay  sectional  jealousies  and  to  bind  together  more 
firmly  every  part  of  the  country. 

The  policy  of  granting  lands,  or  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  thereof, 
for  the  purposes  of  internal  improvements,  and  to  increase  the  value 
of  the  public  property,  was  early  adopted  by  our  government.  By 
the  act  of  April  30,  1802,  one  twentieth  of  the  net  proceeds  of  the 
sales  of  the  public  lands  lying  within  the  State  of  Ohio  was  set  apart 
to  “  be  applied  to  the  laying  out  and  making  public  roads,  leading 
from  the  navigable  waters  emptying  into  the  Atlantic  to  the  Ohio,  to 
the  said  State  and  through  the  same  ;  such  roads  to  be  laid  out  un¬ 
der  the  authority  of  Congress,  with  the  consent  of  the  several  States 
through  which  the  road  shall  pass.”  By  the  act  of  May  1,  T802,  it 
is  provided  i<r  that  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  to  cause  to  be  viewed,  marked,  and  opened,  such  roads 
within  the  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio,  as,  in  his  opinion,  may 
best  serve  to  promote  the  sales  of  the  public  lands  in  future.”  Both 
these  acts  were  approved  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  form  the  basis  on 
which  all  similar  acts  have  been  predicated.  Every  Executive  since 
that  time  approved  of  similar  acts,  and  the  only  change  made  was  in  the 
manner  of  making  the  grant,  the  lands  having  been  given  instead  of 
the  net  proceeds  of  the  sales  thereof.  The  plan  thus  proposed  pre¬ 
cludes  the  necessity  of  entering  into  an  estimate  of  the  expense  to  be 
incurred  in  constructing  any  of  the  proposed  roads.  Nor  does  it  mat¬ 
ter  how  many  roads  are  thus  authorized  to  be  constructed.  If  built, 
they  will  open  up  a  vast  extent  of  country  to  settlement,  and  thus  the 
government  and  the  people  will  be  mutually  benefited.  If  the  roads 
should  not  be  built  within  the  time  specified,  the  lands  revert  to  the 
government,  and  the  parties  take  nothing  by  the  grant.  Nothing  is 
given  without  a  corresponding  benefit  is  to  accrue. 

As  a  means  of  military  defence,  the  Secretary  of  War,  in  his  last 
annual  report,  has  placed  this  measure  in  such  a  strong  point  of  view 
that  your  committee  have  thought  proper  to  make  the  following  ex¬ 
tract.  Alluding  to  our  Pacific  possessions,  he  says:  “  This  terri¬ 
tory  is  not  more  remote  from  the  principal  European  States  than  from 
those  parts  of  our  own  country  whence  it  would  derive  its  military 
supplies  ;  and  some  of  those  States  have  colonies  and  possessions  on 
the  Pacific  which  wyould  greatly  facilitate  their  operations  against  it. 
With  these  advantages,  and  those  which  the  attacking  force  always 
has,  of  choice  of  time  and  place,  an  enemy  possessing  a  considerable 
military  marine  could,  with  comparatively  little  cost  to  himself,  sub¬ 
ject  us  to  enormous  expenses  in  giving  to  our  Pacific  frontier  that 
protection  which  it  is  the  duty  of  the  general  government  to  afford. 
In  the  first  years  of  a  war  with  any  great  maritime  power,  the  com¬ 
munication  by  sea  could  not  be  relied  upon  for  the  transportation  of 
supplies  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  States.  Our  naval  peace  es¬ 
tablishment  would  not  furnish  adequate  convoys  for  the  number  ol 


4 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


storesliips  which  it  would  he  necessary  to  employ,  and  storeships  alone, 
laden  with  supplies,  could  not  undertake  a  voyage  of  twenty  thousand 
miles,  passing  numerous  neutral  ports,  where  an  enemy’s  armed  ves¬ 
sels,  even  of  the  smallest  size,  might  lie  in  wait  to  intercept  them. 
The  only  line  of  communication,  then,  would  he  overland  ;  and  by 
this  it  would  he  impracticable,  with  any  means  heretofore  used,  to 
furnish  the  amount  of  supplies  required  for  the  defence  of  the  Pacific 
frontier.  At  the  present  prices,  over  the  best  part  of  this  route,  the 
expense  of  land  transportation  alone,  for  the  annual  supplies  of  pro¬ 
visions,  clothing,  camp  equipage,  and  ammunition  for  such  an  army 
as  it  would  he  necessary  to  maintain  there,  would  exceed  $20,000,000; 
and  to  maintain  troops,  and  carry  on  defensive  operations  under  those 
circumstances,  the  expense  per  man  would  be  six  times  greater  than 
it  is  now.  The  land  transportation  of  each  field  twelve-pounder,  with 
a  due  supply  of  ammunition  for  one  year,  would  cost  $2,500  ;  of  each 
twenty-four-pounder  and  ammunition,  $9,000  ;  and  of  a  sea-coast  gun 
and  ammunition,  $12,000.  The  transportation  of  ammunition  for  a 
year  for  1,000  sea-coast  guns,  would  cost  $10,000,000.  But  the  ex¬ 
pense  of  transportation  would  be  vastly  increased  by  a  war,  and,  at 
the  rates  paid  on  the  same  articles  during  the  last  war  with  Great 
Britain,  the  above  estimates  would  be  trebled.  The  time  required 
for  the  overland  journey  would  he  from  four  to  six  months.  In  point 
of  fact,  however,  supplies  for  such  an  army  could  not  he  transported 
across  the  continent.  On  the  arid  and  barren  belts  to  he  crossed,  the 
limited  quantities  of  water  and  grass  would  soon  be  exhausted  by  the 
numerous  draught  animals  required  for  heavy  trains,  and  over  such 
distances  forage  could  not  be  carried  for  their  subsistence.  On  the 
other  hand  the  enemy  would  send  out  his  supplies  at  from  one-seventh 
to  one-twentieth  the  above  rates,  and  in  less  time — perhaps  in 
one-fourtli  the  time — if  he  should  obtain  command  of  the  isthmus 
routes. 

“Any  reliance,  therefore,  Upon  furnishing  that  part  of  our  frontier 
with  means  of  defence  from  the  Atlantic  and  interior  States,  after  the 
commencement  of  hostilities,  would  be  vain,  and  the  next  resource 
wmuld  be  to  accumulate  there  such  amount  of  stores  and  supplies  as 
would  suffice  during  the  continuance  of  the  contest,  or  until  we  could 
obtain  command  of  the  sea.  Assigning  but  a  moderate  limit  to  this 
period,  the  expense  would  yet  be  enormous.  The  fortifications,  de¬ 
pots,  and  storehouses,  would  necessarily  be  on  the  largest  scale,  and 
the  cost  of  placing  supplies  there  for  five  years  would  amount  to 
nearly  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars.  In  many  respects  the  cost 
during  peace  would  be  equivalent  to  that  during  var. 

“The  perishable  character  of  many  articles  would  render  it  perhaps 
impracticable  to  put  provisions  in  depot  for  such  a  length  of  time  ; 
and,  in  any  case,  there  would  be  deterioration  amounting  to  some 
millions  of  dollars  per  year. 

“  These  considerations,  and  others  of  a  strictly  military  character, 
cause  the  department  to  examine  with  interest  all  projects  promising 
the  accomplishment  of  a  railroad  communication  between  the  naviga¬ 
ble  waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  those  of  the  Pacific  ocean.  As  mili¬ 
tary  operations  depend  in  a  greater  degree  upon  rapidity  and  cer- 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


5 


tainty  of  movement  than  upon  any  other  circumstance,  the  introduc¬ 
tion  of  railway  transportation  has  greatly  improved  the  means  of  de¬ 
fending  our  Atlantic  and  inland  frontiers  ;  and  to  give  us  a  sense  of 
security  from  attack  upon  the  most  exposed  portion  of  our  territory, 
it  is  requisite  that  the*  facility  of  railroad  transportation  should  be  ex¬ 
tended  to  the  Pacific  coast.  Were  such  a  road  completed,  our  Pacific 
coast,  instead  of  being  further  removed  in  time,  and  less  accessible  to 
us  than  to  an  enemy,  would  he  brought  within  a  few  days  of  easy 
communication,  and  the  cost  of  supplying  an  army  there,  instead  of 
being  many  times  greater  to  us  than  to  him,  would  he  about  equal. 
We  would  be  relieved  of  the  necessity  of  accumulating  large  supplies 
on  that  coast  to  waste,  perhaps,  through  long  years  of  peace  ;  and  we 
could  feel  entire  confidence  that,  let  war  come  when  and  with  whom 
it  may,  before  a  hostile  expedition  could  reach  that  exposed  frontier, 
an  ample  force  could  be  placed  there  to  repel  any  attempt  at  invasion. 

“  From  the  results  of  the  surveys  authorized  by  Congress,  we  derive, 
at  least,  the  assurance  that  the  work  is  practicable  ;  and  may  dismiss 
the  apprehensions  which,  previously,  we  could  not  but  entertain  as  to 
the  possibility  of  defending  our  Pacific  territory  through  a  long  war 
with  a  powerful  maritime  enemy. 

u  The  judgment  which  may  be  formed  as  to  the  prospect  of  its  com¬ 
pletion,  must  control  our  future  plans  for  the  military  defence  of  that 
frontier  ;  and  any  plan  for  the  purpose  which  should  leave  that  con¬ 
sideration  out  of  view,  would  be  as  imperfect  as  if  it  should  disregard 
all  those  other  resources  with  which  commerce  and  art  aid  the  opera¬ 
tions  of  armies. 

“  Whether  we  shall  depend  on  private  capital  and  enterprise  alone 
for  the  early  establishment  of  railroad  communication,  or  shall  pro¬ 
mote  its  construction  by  such  aid  as  the  general  government  may  con¬ 
stitutionally  give  ;  whether  we  shall  rely  on  the  continuance  of  peace 
until  the  increase  of  the  population  and  resources  of  the  Pacific  States 
shall  render  them  independent  of  aid  from  those  of  the  Atlantic  slope 
and  Mississippi  valley,  or  whether  we  shall  adopt  the  extensive  sys¬ 
tem  of  defence  above  referred  to,  are  questions  of  public  policy  which 
belongs  to  Congress  to  decide. 

“  Beyond  the  direct  employment  of  such  a  road  for  military  purposes, 
it  has  other  relations  to  all  the  great  interests  of  our  confederacy,  po¬ 
litical,  commercial,  and  social,  the  prosperity  of  which  essentially 
contributes  to  the  common  defence.  Of  these  it  is  not  my  purpose  to 
treat,  further  than  to  point  to  the  additional  resources  which  it  would 
develop,  and  the  increase  of  population  which  must  attend  upon  giv¬ 
ing  such  facility  of  communication  to  a  country  so  tempting  to  enter¬ 
prise,  much  of  which,  having  most  valuable  products,  is  beyond  the 
reach  of  market.” 

Some  of  the  considerations  which  bear  upon  the  questions  submitted 
to  the  committee,  have  thus  been  briefly  suggested.  But  we  do  not 
deem  it  necessary  to  enter  upon  an  extended  argument  to  show  either 
the  constitutional  power  of  Congress  to  aid  .the  construction  of  the 
proposed  roads,  or  its  duty  to  exercise  that  power.  The  public  mind 
has  already  formed  its  judgment  on  both  these  points.  The  public 
press,  popular  assemblies,  and  legislative  resolutions,  have  spoken 


6 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


with  a  concurring  voice  ;  and  recent  representative  conventions  of  the 
Democratic  party  at  Cincinnati,  and  the  Republican  party  at  Phila¬ 
delphia,  have,  with  most  remarkable  unanimity  and  emphasis,  de¬ 
clared  the  will  of  the  people  on  this  subject  in  resolutions  intended  for 
our  instruction.  The  committee  have  deemed  it  their  duty  to  give 
effect  to  this  general  wish,  and  have  examined  with  much  care  the 
various  plans  which  have  from  time  to  time  been  proposed. 

They  have  thought  proper  to  change  the  provisions  of  the  bill  re¬ 
ferred  to  them  very  materially — preferring  to  make  the  grants  directly 
to  companies  whose  interests  and  well-established  ability  give  assu¬ 
rance  that  they  will  press  the  work  forward  to  completion  at  the  earli¬ 
est  day  possible. 

They  therefore  report  the  following  bill,  and  recommend  its  adoption* 


A  BILL  to  provide  for  the  establishment  of  railroad  and  telegraphic  comnmnication  be¬ 
tween  the  Atlantic  States  and  Pacific  Ocean,  and  for  other  purposes. 


Section  1 .  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled ,  That  for  the  purpose 
of  aiding  in  the  construction  of  a  railroad  and  telegraphic  communica¬ 
tion  from  the  western  boundaries  of  Missouri  and  Iowa,  north  of  the 
thirty-eighth  and  south  of  the  forty-fourth  degrees  of  north  latitude,  to 
some  point  on  the  navigable  waters  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  in  the  State 
of  California,  the  railroad  companies  herein  named,  and  their  associ¬ 
ates,  successors,  and  assigns — that  is  to  say,  the  Hannibal  and  St. 
Joseph  Railroad  Company,  and  the  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  of  the 
State  of  Missouri ;  and  the  Burlington  and  Missouri  River  Railroad 
Company  ;  the  Philadelphia,  Fort  Wayne  and  Platte  Valley  Rail¬ 
road  Company  ;  ,the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  Railroad  Company  ;  the 
Iowa  Central  Air-line  Railroad  Company  ;  the  Dubuque  and  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  ;  and  the  North  Iowa  Railroad  Company,  of  the 
State  of  Iowa,  and  their  associates,  successors,  and  assigns — are  here¬ 
by  authorized  to  extend  their  said  several  roads  from  their  western 
termini  westwardly,  through  the  territories  of  the  United  States,  so 
as  to  form  a  junction  with  each  other  at  some  point  near  Fort  Kearney, 
and  not  south  of  the  same,  or  at  such  point  as,  after  actual  survey, 
may  be  agreed  upon  by  all  the  parties  constructing  their  several  roads 
to  said  junction  ;  and  from  the  place  of  said  junction  they  may  con¬ 
jointly  extend  a  line  westward  to  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  State  of 
California,  and  from  thence,  with  the  consent  of  the  legislature  of 
said  State,  to  some  point  to  be  by  them  selected  on  the  navigable 
waters  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  and  also  connect  by  means  of  a  branch 
jailroad  with  the  cities  of  Marysville,  Sacramento,  Stockton,  and  San 
Jose ;  and,  to  enable  them  to  construct  the  same,  together  with  a 
telegraphic  line  along  each,  there  shall  be,  and  hereby  is,  granted  to 
each  one  of  said  railroad  companies  the  right  of  way  for  one  hundred 
feet  in  width  along  the  entire  line  of  each  of  said  railroads  (with 
land  sufficient  for  all  necessary  sites  for  depots,  watering  places,  and 
workshops)  to  the  point  of  junction  at  Fort  Kearney  ;  and  every 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH'. 


7 


alternate  section  of  land  designated  on  the  maps  of  the  survey  of  the 
public  lands  (when  made)  by  uneven  numbers,  for  six  sections  in 
width  on  each  side  of  said  roads,  for  the  entire  length  from  their 
present  western  termini  to  said  place  of  junction,  to  be  held  and  con¬ 
veyed  as  herein  provided;  and  in  all  cases  where  the  United  States 
shall  have  disposed  of  any  such  lands,  or  shall  from  any  cause  he  un¬ 
able  to  convey  a  title  thereto,  the  deficiency  may  be  made  up  from  the 
nearest  vacant  lands  in  like  manner,  by  alternate  sections,  by  the 
party  or  parties  entitled  thereto,  from  any  unoccupied  and  unappro¬ 
priated  public  lands  belonging  to  the  United  States  within  the  terri¬ 
tories  north  of  thirty-eight  and  south  of  forty-four  degrees  of  north 
latitude  ;  and  from  the  place  of  said  junction  there  is  hereby  granted 
to  said  companies,  their  associates,  successors,  and  assigns,  or  to  such 
of  them  as  shall,  within  one  year  from  the  passage  of  this  act,  by  an 
agreement  in  writing  properly  executed  between  them,  and  filed  in  the 
Department  of  the  Interior,  associate  for  the  construction  of  said  road 
westward  to  the  navigable  waters  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  in  the  State  of 
California,  and  the  branch  to  San  Jose,  every  alternate  section  of  land 
designated  on  the  maps  of  the  survey,  when  made,  by  uneven  num¬ 
bers,  for  thirty  sections  in  width  on  each  side  of  the  length  of  said 
road,  commencing  at  the  point  of  junction  aforesaid,  and  extending  to 
a  point  two  hundred  miles  west  of  the  same,  and  thence  in  like  manner 
forty  alternate  sections  in  width  on  each  side  of  said  road  to  the  west¬ 
ern  base  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  range,  and  thence  through  the  State  of 
California,  in  like  manner,  six  alternate  sections  of  land  per  each 
mile  of  railroad,  including  the  branch  aforesaid,  which  lands  may, 
at  the  request  of  the  parties  hereinbefore  mentioned,  be  withdrawn 
from  sale  or  entry,  and  if  required  so  to  be,  shall  be  surveyed  under 
the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  and  be  held  and  con¬ 
veyed  as  herein  provided;  and  in  all  cases  where  the  United  States 
may  have  disposed  of  any  such  lands,  or  shall  from  any  cause  be  un¬ 
able  to  convey  a  title  thereto,  or  when  such  land  shall  be  condemned 
by  the  United  States  surveyors  as  unfit  to  be  surveyed,  the  deficiency 
may  be  made  up  in  like  manner  by  alternate  sections,  by  the  party  or 
parties  entitled  thereto,  from  the  nearest  unoccupied  and  unappropri¬ 
ated  public  lands  belonging  to  the  United  States  north  of  the  thirty- 
eighth  degree  of  north  latitude :  Provided ,  however ,  That  for  such 
deficiencv  in  the  State  of  California,  and  also  in  lieu  of  all  mineral 
lands  in  said  State,  (which  are  excepted  from  the  grant  herein  made,) 
such  selection  may  be  made  from  any  unoccupied  and  unappropriated 
lands  of  the  United  States,  within  the  said  State  of  California,  lying 
north  of  the  thirty-seventh  degree  of  north  latitude  ;  but  the  grant 
of  lands  herein  made  to  the  State  of  California  shall  in  no  wise  im¬ 
pair  the  right  of  the  State  of  California,  first  to  select  such  lands  as 
said  State  is  entitled  to,  and  said  selections  to  be  made  in  accordance 
with  the  provisions  of  existing  laws:  And  provided  further ,  That  the 
title  to  said  lands  shall  vest  in  the  parties  aforesaid  only  as  such  roads 
shall  be  constructed,  and  no  patent  shall  issue  for  said  land  except  as 
each  fifty  miles  of  said  roads  shall  be  completed  :  And  provided  fur¬ 
ther,  That  any  of  the  said  companies  which  shall  fail  to  construct  fifty 
miles  of  road  west  of  the  Missouri  river  within  three  years  from  the 


8 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


passage  of  this  act  shall  not  he  entitled  to  any  of  the  lands,  hut  the 
lands  thus  forfeited  shall  be  divided  equally  among  the  companies 
which  shall  within  said  time  complete  said  length  of  road  not  to  ex¬ 
ceed  six  additional  sections  per  mile  to  each  of  said  roads.  And  to 
aid  in  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from  the  city  of  Sacramento  to 
the  city  of  Benicia,  a  grant  of  public  lands  to  the  State  of  California, 
of  the  same  amount  per  mile  as  is  granted  to  aid  in  building  a  branch 
railroad  to  San  Jose,  is  hereby  made  for  the  use  of  the  San  Francisco 
and  Sacramento  Railroad  Company,  upon  the  like  conditions  and  limita¬ 
tions,  and  upon  the  further  condition  that  the  railroad  shall  be  com¬ 
pleted  on  or  before  the  fist  day  of  January,  eighteen  hundred  and 
sixty  :  And  'provided  further ,  That  if  the  said  Hannibal  and  St. 
Joseph  and  the  Pacific  Railroad  Companies,  of  the  State  of  Missouri, 
and  the  said  Iowa  Central  Air-line,  the  Dubuque  and  Pacific,  and  the 
North  Iowa  Railroad  Companies,  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  or  either  of 
them,  instead  of  forming  a  junction  with  other  roads  at  or  near  Fort 
Kearney,  as  before  provided,  shall  desire  to  extend  their  respective 
roads,  or  if  any  two  or  more  of  them  shall  unite  and  conjointly  ex¬ 
tend  one  line  of  road  on  either  side  of  said  route,  for  the  purpose  of  in¬ 
tersection  with  the  road  from  Fort  Kearney  to  the  Pacific  ocean,  at 
some  point  further  west  than  said  Fort  Kearney,  they  are  hereby 
authorized  so  to  do ;  and  the  same  grant  of  lands  per  mile  (that  is  to 
say,  six  alternate  sections  per  mile)  shall  be  extended  to  them  re¬ 
spectively  or  conjointly,  for  each  mile  of  railroad  by  them  actually 
built,  in  the  same  manner  as  is  provided  in  case  of  a  junction  at  or 
near  Fort  Kearney:  And  provided  further ,  That  the  extent  of  interest 
which  each  of  the  aforesaid  companies  shall  acquire  in  the  grant  of 
lands  herein  made  for  the  construction  of  a  xailroad  and  line  of  tele¬ 
graph  from  Fort  Kearney  westward,  to  the  western  termini,  by  com¬ 
plying  with  the  conditions  contained  in  this  act,  as  also  the  interest 
they  shall  thereby  obtain  in  the  construction  of  said  lines  from  Fort 
Kearney  westward,  shall  be  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  money 
each  company  shall  actually  pay  in  for  the  construction  of  such  line  or 
lines  of  railroad  and  telegraph . 

Sec.  2.  And  he  it  further  enacted ,  That  the  government  of  the 
United  States  shall  at  all  times  have  the  preference  in  the  use  of  said 
roads  and  of  all  other  roads  provided  for  in  this  act,  for  transportation 
purposes,  and  also  in  the  use  of  said  lines  of  telegraph  ;  and,  as 
compensation  for  such  uses,  that  is  to  say,  for  the  use  of  such  rail¬ 
roads  for  postal,  military,  and  all  other  government  purposes,  and 
for  the  use  of  said  telegraphs  as  well  in  time  of  war  as  of  peace,  the 
United  States  shall  pay  to  the  said  parties,  proprietors  of  said  roads, 
a  sum  not  to  exceed  five  hundred  dollars  per  mile  per  annum  (unless 
otherwise  provided  by  Congress)  for  the  period  of  ten  years  from  and 
after  the  entire  completion  of  said  roads,  or  at  that  rate  for  any  por¬ 
tion  of  the  same,  should  the  government  wish  to  use  any  part  of  said 
road  before  the  whole  line  shall  be  completed  ;  but  should  the  gov¬ 
ernment  transportation  and  business  on  said  roads  be  so  great  as,  at  the 
customary  rates  of  charges  on  said  roads,  to  exceed  in  value  fifty  per 
cent,  of  the  sum  proposed  per  annum,  estimating  the  mail  service  at 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


9 


three  hundred  dollars  a  mile  annually,  then  the  government  will  pay 
for  such  extra  service  an  additional  compensation  to  be  fixed  by  Con¬ 
gress  ;  but  in  this  allowance  the  several  railroads  projected  and 
herein  named,  till  completed  to  the  point  of  junction,  shall  be  consid¬ 
ered  as  one  line  of  road  and  telegraph,  and  the  payment  to  each  shall 
be  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  work  which  such  road  shall  do, 
the  payment  for  mail  matter  to  be  equally  divided  between  them  ;  but 
should  any  of  them  fail,  neglect,  or  refuse  to  unite,  then  the  whole 
amount  shall,  in  like  manner,  be  paid  to  the  remaining  company  or 
companies  which  shall  construct  the  road  as  herein  directed  :  Provided , 
however,  That  the  government  shall  be  forever  entitled  to  the  use  of 
said  roads  and  telegraph  lines  for  the  purposes  herein  designated, 
and  at  a  rate  of  compensation  not  greater  than  that  heretofore  speci¬ 
fied,  unless  otherwise  provided  by  Congress:  And  provided  further, 
That  all  the  land  hereby  granted  for  right  of  way  and  the  purposes 
of  depots,  watering  places,  and  work-shops,  shall  be  exempt  from 
taxation  in  the  Territories  while  they  may  remain  such. 

Sec.  3.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That,  if  the  parties  shall  fail  to 
build  the  railroads  aud  telegraph  lines  hereinbefore  provided  for 
within  the  period  of  ten  years  from  the  date  of  the  location  and 
establishment  of  the  line,  which  location  shall  be  made  within  three 
years  from  the  passage  of  this  act,  or  shall  substantially  fail,  neglect, 
or  refuse  to  prosecute  the  work  undertaken  by  said  parties  in  a  man¬ 
ner  to  secure  the  completion  thereof  in  the  time  stipulated,  or  should 
such  parties  violate  the  terms  herein  prescribed,  then  all  the  rights 
of  the  said  parties  to  the  uncompleted  part  of  said  road  or  right  of 
way,  the  property  thereto  belonging,  and  the  lands  not  patented, 
shall  be  forfeited,  and  the  United  States  may  and  shall  enter  upon 
and  possess  the  same.  In  the  event  of  such  forfeiture,  to  be  deter¬ 
mined.  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  and 
the  Postmaster  General,  the  said  Secretaries  and  Postmaster  General 
shall  proceed  to  re-let  the  said  roads  and  lines  uncompleted  under 
such  forfeited  contract,  in  such  manner  as,  in  their  opinion,  will 
secure  their  earliest  completion  ;  and  for  this  purpose  they  are  author¬ 
ized  to  transfer  everything  thus  forfeited,  to  said  subsequent  contract¬ 
ing  parties  ;  the  United  States  to  pay  nothing  more  than  is  herein¬ 
before  appropriated,  and  reserving  all  the  rights  and  privileges 
hereinbefore  specified. 

Sec.  4.  And  be  it  further  enacted ,  That  all  grants  and  contracts 
made  in  pursuance  of  this  act  for  the  construction  and  keeping  up  of 
said  railroad  and  telegraphic  lines  are,  and  shall  be,  made  on  the 
express  condition  that  said  lines  of  railroad  and  telegraph  shall  be 
constructed  in  h  substantial,  thorough,  and  workmanlike  manner, 
with  all  necessary  drains,  culverts,  bridges,  viaducts,  crossings,  turn¬ 
outs,  sidings,  watering-places,  and  all  other  appurtenances,  including 
the  furniture  of  the  road,  equal  in  all  respects  to  a  road  of  the  first 
class,  when  prepared  for  business,  with  rails  of  the  best  quality, 
weighing  not  less  than  sixty  pounds  to  the  yard,  and  of  a  uniform 
gauge  ;  and  shall  also  provide  for  and  require  a  telegraph  line  with 
each  road,  of  the  most  approved  and  substantial  description. 


10  ' 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


Sec.  5.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  there  shall  be,  and  hereby 
are,  granted  to  the  States  of  Louisiana,  Arkansas,  and  Missouri,  sev¬ 
erally,  ten  alternate  sections  of  land  per  each  mile  of  railroad,  and 
on  each  side  thereof,  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  railroads  and  tele¬ 
graph  lines  from  New  Orleans,  via  Opelousas,  to  Shrevesport  ;  from 
Vicksburg,  via  Shrevesport,  to  the  west  boundary-line  of  Louisiana ; 
and  from  the  Iron  mountains,  in  Missouri,  via  Little  Rock,  to  Shreves¬ 
port,  and  to  the  railroads  running  westwardly  from  Cairo,  Memphis, 
and  Gaines'  Landing,  deducting  so  many  acres  therefrom  as  may  have 
been  granted  heretofore  for  any  part  of  any  road  or  branch  herein 
named.  Fifty  miles  of  each  of  said  roads  and  branches  shall  be  built 
within  three  years,  and  the  remainder  thereof  shall  be  completed 
within  five  years  thereafter,  or  the  lands  lying  upon  the  unfinished 
portions  of  any  road  or  branch  shall  revert  to  the  United  States.  The 
title  to  the  lands  shall  vest  in  said  States  respectively,  in  the  manner 
prescribed  in  acts  of  Congress  granting  public  lands  to  said  States  for 
kindred  purposes,  and  subject  to  corresponding  limitations  and  restric¬ 
tions,  except  as  modified  or  altered  by  the  provisions  of  this  act. 

Sec.  6.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  several  railroad  com¬ 
panies  authorized,  or  who  may  he  authorized,  by  said  States  of  Loui¬ 
siana,  Arkansas,  and  Missouri,  severally,  to  construct  railroads  along 
the  routes  indicated  in  the  preceding  section,  together  with  such  com¬ 
pany  or  companies  as  are  or  may  be  authorized  by  the  States  of  Texas 
and  California,  severally,  to  construct  a  railroad  or  railroads  along 
the  route  between  San  Francisco  and  Shrevesport,  or  such  one  or  more 
of  said  companies  as  may  elect  to  avail  themselves  of  the  privileges 
herein  granted,  are  hereby  authorized  to  construct  a  railroad  from  El 
Paso,  or  from  some  point  between  El  Paso  and  Fort  Fillmore,  in  New 
Mexico,  upon  the  line  separating  that  Territory  from  the  State  of  Texas, 
to  the  State  of  California,  and  thence,  with  the  assent  of  said  State,  to 
the  city  of  San  Francisco  ;  and  two  branches — one  to  San  Diego,  and 
the  other  to  a  suitable  point  on  the  Pacific  ocean,  or  to  navigable 
waters  leading  thereto.  The  company  or  companies  electing  to  build 
said  railroad  shall  file,  within  twelve  months  from  January  next,  in  the 
Department  of  the  Interior,  their  written  acceptance  of  the  grant  herein 
contained,  and  within  three  years  thereafter  shall  build  and  equip  not 
less  than  fifty  miles  of  said  road.  And,  to  aid  in  the  construction  of 
said  railroad  and  telegraph  line,  there  are  hereby  granted  to  said  com¬ 
pany  or  companies  thus  filing  as  aforesaid  their  acceptance  of  the  provis¬ 
ions  of  this  section,  upon  the  conditions,  limitations,  and  restrictions 
stated  in  this  act,  forty  alternate  sections  of  land  per  mile  of  road,  lying 
on  each  side  of  said  railroad,  beginning  on  the  boundary  line  of  the 
State  of  Texas,  in  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  and  Extending  to  the 
one  hundred  and  eighteenth  degree  of  longitude  west  from  Greenwich, 
and  from  thence,  ten  sections  per  mile,  to  the  terminus  of  said  road, 
and  the  same  quantity  of  land  per  mile  to  aid  in  the  construction  of 
each  of  the  two  branches  thereof.  And  all  privileges  as  to  right  of 
way,  donation  of  lands,  and  of  all  other  kinds  whatsoever,  granted 
to  the  company  or  companies  authorized  by  this  act  to  construct  a  rail¬ 
road  westward  from  Fort  Kearney,  are  hereby  granted  to  and  con¬ 
ferred  upon  the  company  or  companies  that  shall  undertake  to  con- 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


11 


struct  a  railroad  from  Texas  to  San  Francisco :  Provided ,  however, 
That  the>  shall  also  be  subject  to  the  same  restrictions,  limitations, 
and  liabilities,  as  the  company  or  companies  authorized  to  build  said 
railroad  and  telegraph  line  west  from  Fort  Kearney.  The  pay  for 
carrying  the  mail,  freight,  or  persons,  for  the  United  States,  shall  be 
the  same  per  mile  an  both  routes  ;  and  whenever  a  railroad  shall  be 
completed  from  Shrevesport  to  New  Mexico,  the  pay  for  carrying  the 
mail,  freight,  or  persons,  for  the  United  States  over  said  road,  shall 
be  the  same  per  mile,  and  subject  to  the  same  conditions,  as  stipulated 
to  be  paid  for  carrying  the  same  on  the  railroad  authorized  to  be  built 
from  Fort  Kearney  to  California. 

Sec.  7.  And  he  it  further  enacted ,  That  for  carrying  freight,  mails, 
and  persons  for  the  United  States,  the  railroads  herein  provided  for 
within  the  States  of  Louisiana,  Arkansas,  and  Missouri  shall  be  al¬ 
lowed  per  mile  the  same  rate  of  compensation,  and  be  subject  to  like 
conditions,  as  directed  by  this  act  to  be  paid  to  the  railroad  companies 
authorized  to  build  railroads  from  Fort  Kearney  east  to  the  Missouri 
river. 

Sec.  8.  And  he  it  further  enacted ,  That  the  Pacific  Railroad  Com¬ 
pany  of  Missouri  may  extend  its  Southwest  Branch  railroad  from 
Springfield,  with  the  assent  of  said  State,  to  such  point  on  the  rail¬ 
road  from  San  Francisco  to  Texas  as  said  company,  after  making  the 
necessary  surveys,  may  select  ;  and  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  said 
Southwest  Branch  railroad  from  Springfield  to  the  Texas  and  San 
Francisco  railroad  there  is  hereby  granted  to  said  Pacific  Railroad 
Company  of  Missouri  one  half  of  the  quantity  of  public  lands — ref¬ 
erence  being  had  to  the  number  of  miles  of  railroad  to  be  built — 
which  is  granted  by  this  act  to  aid  in  constructing  the  main  road 
from  San  Francisco  to  Texas,  together  with  similar  rights,  privileges, 
and  immunities,  (except  as  to  the  rate  of  compensation  for  services  to 
the  United  States  which  shall  be  hereafter  fixed  by  Congress,)  and 
subject  to  the  same  restrictions,  as  said  main  road  ;  deficiencies  of 
land  arising  from  like  causes  shall  be  made  up  in  like  manner  as  pro¬ 
vided  for  by  this  act  for  the  benefit  of  the  road  running  west  from 
Fort  Kearney  ;  fifty  miles  of  said  Southwest  Branch  railroad  shall  be 
built  within  four  years,  and  the  whole  within  fifteen  years  from  the 
date  of  this  act  ;  no  lands  shall  be  sold  by  said  company  prior  to  the 
completion  of  twenty-five  miles  of  the  road,  and  then  only  so  many 
sections  as  are  granted  for  such  twenty-five  miles  of  road,  and  so  on  for 
each  twenty-five  miles  of  road  as  finished.  If  said  company  fails  to 
complete  said  road  within  the  time  specified,  the  lands  herein  granted 
shall  revert  to  the  United  States :  Provided ,  That  the  company  shall  not 
be  deprived  of  lands  for  so  many  miles  of  railroad  as  it  shall  actually 
construct,  equip,  and  run,  but  only  of  the  amount  granted  to  aid  in  the 
construction  of  the  portion  of  railroad  remaining  unbuilt  :  And  pro- 
vided  further ,  That  in  no  case  provided  for  in  this  act  shall  patents 
for  lands  issue  in  advance  of  the  actual  completion  of  the  portion  of 
road  in  aid  of  the  construction  of  which  they  were  granted. 

Sec.  9.  And  he  it  further  enacted ,  That  for  the  purpose  of  aiding 
in  the  construction  of  a  railroad  and  telegraphic  communication  be- 


12 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


tween  the  northern  lakes  and  the  Pacific  ocean,  north  of  the  forty- 
fourth  degree  of  north  latitude,  there  is  hereby  granted  to  the  North¬ 
ern  Lakes  and  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  of  which  Alexander  Ram¬ 
sey  is  president,  and  to  their  associates,  successors,  and  assigns,  the 
quantity  of  twenty  sections  of  land  per  mile  for  the  length  of  this 
line  of  railroad  and  telegraph,  from  such  eligible  point  as  may  be  se¬ 
lected  by  them  for  their  eastern  terminus,  near  the  lake  or  river  St. 
Croix  on  the  western  boundary  of  tbe  State  of  Wisconsin,  by  way  of 
St.  Paul,  to  the  one  hundredth  degree  of  longitude  west  from  Green¬ 
wich^  and  the  quantity  of  forty  sections  per  mile  from  said  last  men¬ 
tioned  point  to  such  point  on  the  navigable  waters  of  Puget's  sound 
as  said  company  may  select  for  the  western  terminus  of  said  railroad 
and  telegraph  ;  and  there  is  also  hereby  granted  to  said  railroad  com¬ 
pany  the  quantity  of  forty  sections  of  land  per  mile  to  aid  in  the  con¬ 
struction  of  a  branch  line  of  railroad  and  telegraph,  commencing  on 
their  main  line  at  some  suitable  point,  to  be  by  them  selected  west  of 
the  Rocky  mountains,  and  running  to  the  Columbia  river  at  or  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Willamette  river,  in  the  Territory  of  Oregon  ;  and 
the  quantity  of  twenty  sections  of  land  jper  mile  is  also  hereby  grant¬ 
ed  to  said  company,  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  a  branch  railroad 
and  telegraph  line  from  the  main  line  of  said  Northern  Lakes  and 
Pacific  Railroad,  at  such  point  east  of  the  one  hundredth  degree  of 
longitude,  west  from  Greenwich,  as  said  company  may  select,  to  some 
point  on  Lake  Superior  to  be  by  them  selected  ;  but  all  the  grants  of 
land  provided  for  in  this  section  are  to  be  taken  with  all  the  condi¬ 
tions,  limitations,  restrictions,  and  reservations,  and  the  selections  of 
lands  shall  be  made  in  the  same  manner,  as  are  prescribed  and  pro¬ 
vided  for  in  the  grants  herein  made  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  lines 
of  railroad  and  telegraph  between  the  thirty-eighth  and  forty-fourth 
degrees  of  north  latitude. 

Sec.  10.  And  be  it  further  enacted ,  That  if  any  railroad  already 
located  shall  be  used  for  any  portion  of  the  railroads  herein  provided 
for,  then  the  lands  heretofore  granted  by  the  United  States  to  aid  in 
the  construction  of  such  railroads  shall  be  deducted  from  the  quantity 
hereby  granted  to  such  road  or  portions  of  road  :  Provided ,  however , 
That  if  it  should  be  found  that  the  lands  thus  heretofore  granted  to 
any  of  the  roads  proposed  to  be  extended  under  this  act,  to  aid  in  its 
construction,  shall  fall  short  of  the  full  amount  intended  to  be  appro¬ 
priated  thereto;  then  said  road  shall  be  entitled  to  make  uj)  the  defi¬ 
ciency  out  of  any  unoccupied  and  unappropriated  lands  of  the  United 
States  within  the  State  or  Territory  in  which  such  road  is  located  ; 
and  on  the  approval  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  of  the  selections 
made  by  such  company,  he  shall  issue  patents  or  certified  lists  there¬ 
for  :  And 'provided  further ,  That  if  the  parties  hereinbefore  named 
desire  to  lay  down  more  than  one  tract,  they  are  hereby  authorized  so 
to  do. 

Sec.  11  And  be  it%further  enacted ,  That  the  said  lines  of  railroad 
and  telegraph  shall  be  kept  in  good  repair  and  in  good  working 
order  by  the  proprietors  thereof ;  and  for  any  unwarrantable  delay  in 
the  transmission  of  messages,  or  the  transportation  of  troops,  stores, 
mails,  and  other  things  that  may  be  required  by  the  United  States, 


13 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 

the  said  companies  shall  be  subject  to  such  fines  and  penalties  as  may 
be  hereafter  directed  by  law,  and  the  same  shall  be  deducted  from  the 
moneys  to  be  paid  for  such  services  to  the  said  companies  or  company. 
And  the  said  companies  or  company  shall  severally  make  an  annual 
report  of  the  progress  and  condition  of  said  roads  and  telegraphic 
lines  respectively  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  the  Secretary  of  War 
may  appoint  any  engineer  of  the  United  States  to  make  the  necessary 
examination,  and  report  from  year  to  year. 

Sec.  12.  And  be  it  further  enacted ,  That  the  lands  hereby  granted 
shall  be  exclusively  applied  in  the  construction  of  the  roads  for  which 
they  are  respectively  granted  and  selected,  under  the  requirements  of 
this  act,  and  the  same  shall  be  applied  to  no  other  purposes  whatso¬ 
ever. 

Sec.  13.  And  be  it  further  enacted. I,  That  this  act  shall  not  be  con¬ 
strued  as  applying  to  any  lands  hitherto  reserved  by  the  United 
States  for  any  purpose  whatsoever,  or  to  lands  in  any  manner  selected 
or  reserved  by  any  competent  authority  under  the  provisions  of  exist¬ 
ing  laws :  Provided ,  however ,  That  the  right  of  way,  as  hereinbe¬ 
fore  provided,  is  granted  through  such  reserved  lands  not  in  the 
actual  occupancy  by  the  United  States  for  purposes  inconsistent  there¬ 
with  :  And  provided  further ,  That  no  road  shall  be  located  through 
any  Indian  reservation  or  Territory,  except  upon  the  written  approval 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  and  the  consent  of  the  Indian  tribe 
or  tribes  interested  therein,  previously  obtained  by  the  government 
of  the  United  States. 

Sec.  14.  And  be  it  further  enacted ,  That  the  sections  and  parts  of 
sections  of  land  remaining  to  the  United  States  on  each  side  of  the 
roads  herein  provided  for,  shall  not  be  sold  for  less  than  double  the 
minimum  price  of  the  public  lands. 

Sec.  15.  And  be  it  further  enacted ,  That  all  minerals,  whether  of 
gold,  silver,  copper,  tin,  or  quicksilver,  shall  be,  and  hereby  are,  ex¬ 
pressly  reserved  and  excepted  in  all  grants  or  conveyances  of  lands 
made  by  the  United  States  to  any  person  or  persons,  company  or 
companies,  whatsoever  ;  and  Congress  shall  hereafter  direct  the 
manner  of  working  such  mines. 


i 


14 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


MINORITY  REPORT. 


July  24,  1856. 


Mr.  J.  M.  Wood,  from  the  Select  Committee,  gave  notice  that,  at  a 
proper  time,  he  should  submit  the  following  minority  report  : 

The  undersigned ,  *being  one  of  the  Select  Committee  to  whom  ivas  referred \ 
the  subject  of  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from  the  Atlantic  States  to 
the  Pacific  ocean ,  and  differing  from  the  views  entertained  by  a  ma¬ 
jority  of  that  committee ,  asks  leave  to  submit  the  following  as  a  mi¬ 
nority  report: 

It  is  admitted  by  all  parties  that  it  is  desirable  to  have  constructed, 
as  speedily  as  may  be,  a  railroad  from  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi 
river  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  The  agitation  of  this  question  during  the 
past  few  years  has  necessarily  had  the  effect  of  rendering  the  project 
somewhat  familiar  to  the  popular  mind.  The  subject  is  unquestion¬ 
ably  one  which  involves  many  difficulties,  owing  in  part  to  the  vast¬ 
ness  of  the  country  embraced  within  the  limits  explored,  and  the 
numerous  and  perhaps  conflicting  interests  that  are  struggling  for 
particular  and  favorite  routes.  The  question,  therefore,  should  be 
approached,  as  far  as  possible,  without  prejudice,  and  with  the  lead¬ 
ing  view  of  accommodating  the  largest  possible  portion  of  the  commu¬ 
nity  who  are  to  be  benefited  by  this  great  work.  It  ma,y  safely  be  said 
that  a  majority  of  the  people  now  demand  that  the  government  of  the 
United  States  should  take  early  measures  to  provide  for  the  construc¬ 
tion  of  a  wagon  road  and  a  railroad  from  some  point  in  the  Mississippi 
valley  to  the  Pacific  coast.  Having  given  the  subject  some  considera¬ 
tion,  I  have  come  to  the  following  conclusions,  namely: 

That,  to  accomplish  this  object  with  certainty,  and  in  a  reasonable 
time,  the  government  of  the  United  States  must  furnish  the  cash 
means  to  prosecute  the  work.  The  mode  in  which  these  means  may 
be  furnished  is  indicated  at  the  conclusion  of  this  report. 

That,  in  selecting  a  route  for  this  line  regard  should  be  had  to  the 
geographical  position  of  the  thirty-one  States  of  the  Union  relatively 
to  each  other  as  they  are  now  formed  and  settled;  and  also  to  other 
lines  of  railway  now  leading  to  the  Mississippi  valley. 

By  an  examination  of  the  map  of  the  United  St  ates,  and  tracing  the 
different  lines  of  railroad  thereon  designated,  the  converging  termini 
of  these  roads  will  toe  found  to  be  at  a  point  on  the  Missouri  river, 
somewhere  between  the  parallels  of  thirty-nine  and  forty-one  degrees 
of  north  latitude  ;  and  from  such  a  point  the  road  should  be  com¬ 
menced  at  this  end,  and  follow  the  most  direct  and  practicable  route 
to  San  Francisco.  The  harbor  of  San  Francisco  is  acknowdedged  to 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


15 


be  the  best  on  the  Pacific  coast ;  and  that  port  is  now  the  great  centre 
of  all  the  commercial  relations  of  our  western  coast.  The  Columbia 
river  at  the  north  will  in  time  become  a  point  of  importance  as  a  com¬ 
mercial  port  for  the  inhabitants  of  Oregon  and  Washington  Terri¬ 
tories,  and  at  the  south  we  have  the  port  of  San  Diego,  with  a  good 
harbor,  but  less  capacious  than  either  of  the  others.  It  is  believed, 
however,  that  no  route  can  be  made  generally  satisfactory,  under  the 
present  state  of  things,  which  does  not  contemplate  San  Francisco  as 
the  terminus  on  the  west,  and  at  the  east  some  point  sufficiently  central 
to  accommodate  the  greatest  amount  of  population  and  business  enter¬ 
prise.  In  this  instance,  as  in  all  others  of  a  like  nature,  the  same  rule 
of  action  should  be  observed  which  lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  success, 
namely,  a  due  regard  to  the  great  centres  of  commercial  enterprise 
and  industry.  Keeping  this  idea  in  view,  it  will  be  at  once  conceded 
that,  other  things  being  equal,  this  road,  if  built  at  all,  should  be 
built  through  such  districts  as  will  be  most  likely  to  concentrate  the 
largest  amount  of  population  in  the  shortest  time. 

The  explorations  and  surveys,  reports  of  which  accompany  the  re¬ 
port  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  are  sufficient  to  decide  upon  what  route 
the  road  should  be  built.  There  are  undoubtedly  preferences  accord¬ 
ing  to  sectional  localities  ;  but,  if  only  one  road  is  to  be  built,  the 
weightiest  arguments  would  unquestionably  tend  fo  a  decision  in  favor 
of  a  route  which,  if  practicable,  will  accommodate  the  greatest  amount 
of  the  busy  population  of  the  country. 

The  determination  of  a  route  for  a  railroad  is  not  always  to  be  gov¬ 
erned  by  the  facility  or  cheapness  with  which  it  may  he  constructed. 
If  such  were  the  case,  many  roads  would  be  built  in  favorable  locali¬ 
ties  where  there  are  but  limited  means  for  their  support. 

The  map  and  profiles  accompanying  the  Secretary’s  report  indicate 
five  distinct  routes  from  the  Mississippi  valley  to  the  Pacific  ocean. 

Profile  No.  1  is  of  the  most  northern  line,  commencing  at  St.  Paul, 
and  terminating  either  at  Vancouver,  or  Columbia  river,  or  Seattle, 
in  Port  Discovery,  on  Puget’s  sound. 

Profile  No.  2  is  of  a  line  commencing  at  Westport  or  mouth  of 
Kansas  river,  passing  through  South  Pass,  and  terminating  at  the 
same  point  as  No.  1. 

Profile  No.  3  is  of  a  line  commencing  at  Council  Bluffs,  and  going 
through  the  Cheyenne  and  Bridger’s  Passes  of  the  Rocky  mountains, 
and  near  Salt  Lake,  across  the  Great  Basin,  through  Madeline  Pass 
and  Sacramento  valley,  to  Benicia,  in  San  Francisco  bay. 

Profile  No.  4  is  of  the  central  route,  through  Sangre  de  Christo  and 
Coo-che-to-pa  Passes  to  the  Great  Basin,  where  the  route  was  aban¬ 
doned  as  impracticable. 

Profile  No.  5  is  of  a  cross-route  from  Independence,  Missouri,  to  El 
Paso  del  Norte. 

Profile  No.  6  is  of  a  route  from  Fort  Smith,  passing  near  Santa  Fe, 
and  terminating  at  San  Pedro. 

Profile  No.  7  is  the  southern  route,  from  Fulton,  through  El  Paso, 
El  Dado,  mouth  of  the  Gila,  and  Gorgonia  Pass,  to  Martinez,  on  an 
arm  of  San  Francisco  bay,  opposite  Benicia. 


16 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


Profile  No.  8  is  a  spur  of  the  last-named  route,  commencing  at  In- 
dianola,  Texas,  a  harbor  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  information  contained  in  the  report  and  estimates  furnished  by 
the  Secretary  of  War  would  lead  to  the  rejection  of  all  these  routes, 
except  the  1st,  3d,  and  7th — that  is  to  say,  the  routes  of  the  47th, 
41st,  and  32d  parallels  of  latitude. 

On  profile  No.  2  there  is  no  estimate  or  report,  the  minutes  seem¬ 
ing  to  be  made  up  by  former  reports  not  combined  with  the  late  sur¬ 
veys  or  explorations. 

Profile  No.  4  is  left  unfinished,  and  is  declared  impracticable. 

Profile  No.  5,  a  cross-line,  is  not  suitable  for  the  road  in  question. 

Profile  No.  6  is  considered  as  too  expensive,  and  is  objectionable  on 
the  score  of  high  grades. 

From  the  reports  it  appears  that  the  nature  of  the  explorations  will 
not  admit  of  determining  the  amount  of  curvature  upon  any  of  these 
lines  ;  and,  as  regards  the  estimates,  probably  no  two  of  them  were 
made  by  the  same  party — consequently  no  one  standard  of  expense 
could  have  been  assumed  to  govern  all  the  estimates.  This  is  exhib¬ 
ited  in  the  fact  that  upwards  of  twenty  millions  of  dollars  were  added 
to  the  estimates  of  Governor  Stevens  for  the  northern  route,  and  a 
very  large  amount  deducted  from  the  estimates  for  the  southern  route  ; 
thus  making  the  estimates  for  the  northern  line  read  $140,871,000, 
instead  of  $117,121,000,  and  reducing  the  estimate  of  the  southern 
line  to  $93,120,000.  The  estimate  for  the  route  by  the  35th  parallel 
(profile  No.  6)  is  left  undisturbed  at  $169,000,000,  though  it  is  stated 
to  be  in  excess  of  the  probable  cost. 

The  profiles  of  all  these  routes  exhibit  only  the  lines  of  average 
grades.  Undoubtedly  many  undulations  will  occur  in  construction 
which  are  not  at  present  represented.  An  analysis  of  what  is  given 
is  shown  in  the  following  table  : 


1 

Total  length 
of road. 

• 

Grades  level 
and  up  to 

30  feet. 

Grades  be¬ 
tween  30 
and  60  feet. 

Grades  be¬ 
tween  60 
and  90  teet. 

Grades 
above  90 
feet. 

Maximum  grade. 

Length 

Rate 
p’r  mile. 

Miles. 

• 

Miles. 

Miles. 

Miles. 

Miles. 

Miles. 

Feet. 

Profile  No.  1,  northern  line. 

2,025 

1,761 

264 

25 

60 

Profile  No.  2 .  .... 

2.152 

1,903 

95 

38 

116 

3.5 

324 

Profile  No.  3,  central  line.. 

1,988 

1,747 

164 

71 

6 

3.6 

126 

Profile  No.  6,  and  part  of 

# 

No.  7 . 

2,298 

1,837 

219 

101 

141 

3.5 

183 

Profile  No.  7,  southern  line. 

2,039 

1,661 

179 

112 

87 

7.2 

173 

% 

On  an  examination  of  this  table,  the  extraordinary  proportion  ex¬ 
isting  among  all  the  lines  of  somewhere  about  eighty-five  per  cent,  of 
the  length  of  each,  consisting  of  gradients  of  thirty  feet  per  mile  and 
less  to  a  level,  will  be  apparent. 

Profile  No.  1,  of  the  northern  line,  is  very  favorable,  and  must  be 
allowed  to  be  superior  to  all  the  others,  both  in  its  grades  and  the 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


17 


small  sum  of  ascent  and  descent.  Were  there  no  other  questions  to 
he  taken  into  consideration,  this  route  would  certainly  be  preferable 
to  all  the  others  as  regards  facility  of  construction.  The  objections 
to  it  are,  its  high  northern  latitude,  leaving  almost  the  whole  United 
States  territory  to  the  south  of  it  ;  its  requiring  a  tunnel  at  Cadotte 
Pass  four  and  a  half  miles  in  length  ;  its  terminating  in  a  remote 
corner  of  the  country  at  a  great  distance  from  the  commercial  centre 
of  the  Pacific  coast ;  and  its  high  cost  as  given  in  the  Secretary  of 
War’s  report. 

Profile  No.  2  represents  a  line  terminating  at  the  same  points  as 
above,  is  longer  than  that  of  No.  1,  and  is  more  objectionable  on  account 
of  its  grades,  thirty-eight  miles  of  which  rate  from  sixty  to  ninety 
feet  per  mile,  and  one  hundred  and  sixteen  miles  'rate  from  ninety  to 
three  hundred  and  twenty-four  feet  per  mile. 

Route  No.  3 — the  central  route,  as  respects  grades — is  second  only 
to  No.  1,  and  is  greatly  superior  to  any  of  the  others.  It  has  seventy- 
one  miles,  rating  from  sixty  to  ninety  feet  per  mile,  and  only  six 
miles  above  ninety  feet  per  mile — the  maximum  grade  being  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  twenty-five  feet  per  mile  ;  but  that  grade  is  only  three  miles 
and  six- tenths  of  a  mile  in  length.  Besides,  the  whole  of  this  extreme 
high  grade  is  concentrated  at  the  western  pass  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
mountain,  and  ma}^  probably  be  modified  so  as  to  be  reduced  to  a  rate 
of  ninety  feet  per  mile,  or  less.  Indeed,  it  is  stated  in  the  report  that 
a  new,  and  apparently  more  feasible,  route  has  been  discovered  since 
the  report  of  Lieutenant  Beckwith  was  made.  The  total  rise  and  fall 
in  this  line  is  twenty-nine  thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet. 

Profile  No.  6,  continued  to  San  Francisco  bay  by  the  western  por¬ 
tion  of  profile  No.  7,  shows  one  hundred  and  forty-one  miles’  length 
of  gradients  ranging  above  ninety  feet  per  mile,  with  a  maximum 
grade  of  one  hundred  and  eighty -three  feet  per  mile  for  three  and  a 
half  miles,  and  a  total  cost  of  $169,000,000. 

Profile  No.  7  represents  the  southern  route  two  thousand  and  thirty- 
nine  miles  from  Fulton  to  San  Francisco  bay.  As  respects  grades, 
this  line  is  much  inferior  to  that  of  profile  No.  3,  the  central  line. 
There  are  one  hundred  and  twelve  miles  having  grades  varying  from 
sixty  to  ninety  feet,  and  thirty-seven  miles  with  grades  above  ninety 
feet  per  mile,  to  which  must  be  added  a  maximum  grade  of  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  seventy-three  feet  per  mile  for  a  distance  of  seven  miles  and 
two-tenths  of  a  mile.  These  high  grades  are  distributed  occasionally 
throughout  the  length  of  the  line,  rendering  it  necessary  to  stock  a 
large  portion  of  the  whole  length  of  the  road  with  the  heaviest  and 
most  expensive  locomotives.  Of  the  grades  above  ninety  feet  per  mile 
on  this  route,  we  have  those  of  91,  93,  94,  95, 108,  115, 119,  132,  155, 
and  157  feet  per  mile,  besides  the  maximum  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-three  feet  per  mile.  The  total  rise  and  fall  upon  this  line  is 
forty-two  thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirty-four  feet. 

Admitting  that  each  of  these  three  routes  is  suitable  for  the  purpose 
of  constructing  a  good  and  sufficient  railroad,  it  must  also  be  admitted 
that,  as  regards  gradients,  the  northern  line  is  superior  to  the  other 
two ;  and  as  regards  expense,  the  southern  line  is  superior  to  the  others. 
The  manner  of  estimating,  however,  is  open  to  criticism.  It  appears 
II.  Rep.  274 - 2 


18 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


that  the  standard  of  estimating  has  been  fixed  by  likening  the  route 
to  some  well  known  railroad  in  operation  in  the  North,  such  as  the 
“  Baltimore  and  Ohio,5'  the  “  New  York  and  Erie/'  the  6{  Hudson 
River,”  &c.  Now  it  is  indisputable,  that  the  same  amount  of  work 
required  on  any  of  the  above  named  roads  could  not  be  done  as  far 
south  as  the  thirty-second  parallel  of  latitude,  by  an  equal  number  of 
men  in  the  same  space  of  time,  nor  at  the  same  rate  of  expense.  The 
climate  is  such  that  the  amount  of  work  done  is  less  per  day,  and  the 
rate  of  wages  must  also  be  somewhat  higher.  This  must  always 
greatly  enhance  the  cost  of  any  public  work  commenced  so  far  south 
as  the  thirty-second  degree  of  north  latitude. 

The  Secretary  of  "War  objects  to  the  northern  line  because  it  runs  so 
near  the  territory  of  a  powerful  foreign  government.  Will  not  the 
“same  objection  apply,  in  some  measure  at  least,  to  the  southern  route 
also  ?  Are  we  so  weak  as  to  express  any  fears  on  this  account  ?  Shall 
we  not  be  better  able  to  defend  our  frontier  from  the  very  fact  that  we 
have  the  means  of  transporting  war  material  all  along  the  line? 

But  the  main  facts  which  ought  to  decide  the  question  of  route  have  not 
yet  appeared.  Let  us  ask  the  questions,  On  what  latitude  is  the  great  cen¬ 
tral  mass  of  the  population  of  this  country  situated?  and  in  which  direc¬ 
tion  is  the  current  of  the  moving  population  pressing  ?  The  readies  to 
these  queries  should  have  more  bearing  in  determining  the  route  than 
perhaps  any  other  considerations,  after  the  practicability  of  the  three 
great  routes  is  admitted.  Referring  to  the  map  of  the  United  States, 
and  the  last  census,  it  will  be  found  that  the  whole  population  is  enu¬ 
merated  at  twenty-three  millions.  Scanning  closely  the  map  of  the 
United  States,  it  will  be  perceived  that  every  State  north  of  Arkansas, 
Tennessee,  and  North  Carolina,  will  be  better  accommodated  by  the 
central  line  than  by  any  other.  Considering  St.  Louis  as  a  point  of 
departure  for  the  central  line,  it  will  be  seen  that  Arkansas  and  Ten¬ 
nessee  are  equally  as  well  accommodated  by  the  central  as  by  the 
southern  line.  The  population  of  the  States  north  of  the  States  of 
Arkansas,  Tennessee,  and  North  Carolina,  is  upwards  of  seventeen 
millions — nearly  three-fourths  of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  Union.  (See 
table  of  States.)  Even  excluding  New  England,  New  York,  Michi¬ 
gan,  and  Wisconsin,  we  yet  have  a  population,  centrally  situated,  of 
ten  million  five  hundred  and  seventy-seven  thousand,  or  nearly  one- 
half  of  the  whole.  Every  one  who  is  familiar  with  railroad  enter¬ 
prises  knows  that  it  is  the  moving  population  which  actually  supports 
the  system  ;  and  that  a  railroad,  to  be  well  supported,  must  be  con¬ 
structed  on  the  line  in  which  that  population  wishes  to  move.  The 
population  even  north  of  the  latitude  of  forty  degrees  is  ten  million 
eight  hundred  and  eighty  thousand — nearly  one-half  of  the  whole  ; 
and  if  we  look  upon  the  railroad  map,  we  see  most  of  the  lines  lying 
in  an  east  and  west  direction,  absolutely  indicating  the  course  of  the 
greatest  amount  of  travel.  The  amount  of  overland  travel  is  already 
great  on  the  central  line,  a  fact  which  cannot  be  shown  in  respect  of 
either  of  the  others.  The  communication  of  the  Mormons,  both  east 
and  wTest,  is  also  large.  The  Mormon  settlement,  situated  as  it  is, 
must  be  a  great  aid  in  the  construction  and  support  of  a  railroad  to 
the  Pacific. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


19 


Again,  the  central  line  is  the  shortest  between  the  two  great  com¬ 
mercial  cities  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts.  This  is  shown  by 


the  following  statement  of  distances: 

Miles. 

From  New  York  to  Benicia,  via  central  line,  is .  3,240 

From  New  York  to  Martinez,  via  southern  line,  is .  3,647 

From  New  York  to  Vancouver,  via  northern  line,  is  3,054 
miles  ;  and  adding  580  miles  to  Benicia,  not  yet  surveyed, 
we  have  a  total  of. .  3,634 


Here  is  a  distance  of  about  four  hundred  miles  in  favor  of  the  cen¬ 
tral  line,  or  nearly  a  ninth  part  of  the  whole  distance. 

The  northern  line  does  not  accommodate  the  State  of  California  at 
all  without  an  addition  of  about  580  miles  parallel  to  the  seacoast  to 
carry  the  line  to  San  Francisco  bay. 

Objection  has  been  made  in  some  quarters  to  northern  and  central 
lines  on  account  of  the  deep  snows  common  to  high  northern  latitudes. 
This  objection  has  some  plausibility  when  we  take  into  consideration 
the  manner  in  which  roads  were  located  and  constructed  in  the  old 
States  some  years  ago ;  but  the  observation  and  experience  of  later 
years  have  taught  engineers,  and  those  having  charge  of  locations, 
the  necessity  of  elevating  their  road-beds  much  higher  than  was  for¬ 
merly  the  practice ;  thus  avoiding  the  evil  consequences  attendant  upon 
hugging  the  surface  of  a  level  plain  too  closely.  This  improved  ele¬ 
vation  has  resulted  in  entire  relief  from  the  effects  of  snows,  as  expe¬ 
rience  has  shown,  besides  producing  a  better  drainage,  and  not  adding 
materially  to  the  cost  of  construction. 

Taking  a  broad  view  of  the  whole  matter,  the  construction,  the  con¬ 
dition  when  built,  the  amount  of  population  to  be  accommodated,  and 
the  amount  of  moving  population  to  support  the  road,  added  to  various 
other  considerations  not  here  enumerated,  there  would  seem  to  be  no 
question  as  to  the  vast  preponderance  of  the  reasons  in  favor  of  the 
central  line. 

A  further  survey,  however,  for  a  final  location  will  be  necessary, 
and  this,  it  is  believed,  could  be  best  accomplished  by  a  mixed  com¬ 
mission  of  engineers.  One-half  of  this  commission  should  consist  of 
gentlemen  in  the  employ  of  the  United  States  government,  and  the 
other  half  should  be  taken  from  the  most  eminent  of  the  profession, 
who  have  heretofore  been  employed  upon  railroads  and  public  works 
by  corporations. 

In  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  superintend  and  take  charge 
of  the  construction  of  the  work,  there  should  be  appointed,  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  Secretary  of  War,  a  board  of  directors,  or  commission¬ 
ers,  consisting  of  not  less  than  five,  nor  more  than  thirteen,  practical, 
experienced  men — men  who  have  been  engaged  heretofore  on  works 
of  a  like  kind.  A  portion  of  this  board  should  be  constantly  on  duty 
on  the  line  of  road. 

*  Propositions  should  then  be  called  for,  and  200  miles  of  road  at 
each  end  be  placed  under  contract  simultaneously,  and  the  further 
progress  should  be  as  rapid  as  prudence  and  circumstances  would 
permit. 


20 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


For  tlie  purpose  of  meeting  the  expenditure  necessary  to  carry  on 
this  work  on  the  part  of  the  government,  an  appropriation  of  one 
hundred  millions  of  dollars  should  be  made  by  Congress,  to  be  sup¬ 
plied  in  the  following  manner,  namely :  That  all  surplus  money  in 
the  United  States  treasury,  after  defraying  the  ordinary  current  ex¬ 
penses  of  the  government,  should  be  appropriated  to  this  use  ;  and 
further,  that,  if  necessary,  bonds  of  the  United  States  government, 
having  thirty  years  to  run,  and  bearing  live  per  cent,  interest,  should 
be  issued  in  such  annual  amounts  as  the  requirements  of  expendi¬ 
ture  on  the  work  might  demand. 

For  the  redemption  of  these  bonds  at  maturity,  the  public  lands  of 
the  United  States,  not  otherwise  appropriated,  should  be  set  apart; 
and  from  and  after  the  first  of  July,  1857,  a  sinking  fund  should  be 
established  for  this  purpose,  to  be  made  up  of  the  avails  of  these 
lands  as  rapidly  as  they  are  disposed  of. 

In  accordance  with  the  foregoing  views,  the  undersigned  has  pre¬ 
pared  a  bill,  which  he  herewith  submits,  embodying  the  principal 
ideas  expressed  in  this  report.  Many  important  matters  of  detail  are 
necessarily  omitted  as  being  only  fit  subjects  for  consideration  when 
the  question  itself  shall  come  up  for  discussion  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  legislative  business. 

The  chief  object  of  the  undersigned  has  been  to  foreshadow  what  he 
believes  to  be  the  only  feasible  and  practicable  method  of  commencing 
and  carrying  on  to  completion  this  great  national  work — a  work  de¬ 
manded  alike  by  the  requirements  of  a  great  majority  of  the  people 
of  the  United  States,  and  by  all  the  exigencies  and  interests  of  every 
section  of  the  country. 

JOHN  M.  WOOD. 


A  BILL  to  provide  for  the  construction  of  a  wagon  road,  a  railroad,  and  a  telegraphic 
line  of  communication  from  a  point  on  the  Missouri  river,  between  the  thirty- ninth 
and  forty  first  degrees  of  north  latitude,  to  the  Pacific  ocean,  at  or  near  the  city  of  San 
Francisco,  in  the  State  of  California. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 
States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled ,  That  for  the  purpose  of  con¬ 
structing  a  wagon  road,  a  railroad,  and  a  telegraphic  line  of  com¬ 
munication  from  a  point  on  the  Missouri  river,  between  the  thirty- 
ninth  and  forty-first  degrees  of  north  latitude,  (said  point  to  be 
finally  determined  as  hereinafter  provided,)  to  the  Pacific  ocean, 
at  or  near  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  in  the  State  of  California, 
the  sum  of  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars  shall  be,  and  is 
of  the  United  States,  or  by  the  issuing  of  bonds  of  the  government  of 
hereby  appropriated,  out  of  any  moneys  in  the  treasury  of  the 
United  States  not  otherwise  appropriated,  or  which  may  hereafter 
be  in  the  said  treasury  of  the  United  States  not  otherwise  appro¬ 
priated,  or  which  may  hereafter  accrue  to  the  said  treasury  of 
the  United  States  in  such  amounts  and  proportions  as  may  be  required, 
as  is  hereinafter  provided. 

Sec.  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted ,  Thai,  for  the  purpose  of  superin- 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


21 


tending  the  construction  of  the  said  wagon  road,  railroad,  and  tele¬ 
graphic  line  of  communication,  and  the  disbursement  of  the  said 
sum  of  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars,  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  shall  ap¬ 
point  nine  suitable  persons  who  have  had  experience  in  the  construc¬ 
tion  of  works  of  a  like  nature,  who  shall  be  styled  “  Commissioners 
of  Construction  and  Disbursements,”  and  who  shall  receive  out  of 
the  treasury  of  the  United  States,  for  their  services,  an  annual  com¬ 
pensation  not  exceeding -  thousand  dollars  each  :  Provided  al- 

tuays ,  That  in  case  of  malfeasance  in  office,  or  other  disqualification 
on  the  part  of  any  of  the  said  commissioners,  he  or  they  may  he  re¬ 
moved  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  the  vacancy  or 
vacancies  thereby  occasioned  shall  he  filled  by  new  appointments  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  which  appointments  shall  remain 
in  force  until  they  are  confirmed  or  rejected  by  the  Senate:  And  pro¬ 
vided  further ,  That  in  case  of  the  death  or  resignation  of  any  of  the  said 
commissioners,  the  President  of  the  United  States  may  fill  the  va¬ 
cancy  or  vacancies  thereby  occasioned  in  the  same  manner  as  is  pro¬ 
vided  in  the  next  preceding  proviso. 

Sec.  3.  And  be  it  further  enacted ,  That,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
an  immediate  and  final  location  of  the  said  wagon  road,  railroad,  and 
telegraphic  line  of  communication,  the  Secretary  of  War  is  hereby 
authorized  and  required  to  appoint  four  persons  from  among  the  most 
eminent  engineers  now  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  to  act  in 
conjunction  with  five  other  suitable  persons  to  be  selected  by  the  Pres¬ 
ident  of  the  United  States,  who  is  hereby  authorized,  by  and  with  the 
advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  to  appoint  the  same  from  the  most 
eminent  engineers  not  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  ;  and  that 
on  the  recommendation  of,  or  agreement  upon,  any  particular  loca¬ 
tion  by  a  majority  of  the  said  engineers,  the  commissioners  aforesaid 
shall  accept  the  said  location,  and  thenceforth  and  thereon  proceed  to 
the  construction  of  said  wagon  road,  railroad,  and  telegraphic  line  of 
communication  in  the  manner  provided  for  in  the  next  following  sec¬ 
tion  of  this  act. 

Sec.  4.  And  be  it  further  enacted ,  That  the  location  of  said  wagon 
road,  railroad,  and  telegraphic  line  of  communication  being  determined 
upon  as  aforesaid,  the  said  commissioners  shall  cause  proposals  for 
contracts  to  be  published  in  at  least  one  principal  newspaper  in  each 
State  of  the  Union,  for  the  construction  of  not  more  than  two  hun¬ 
dred  miles  of  said  roads  and  telegraphic  line  of  communication  at 
each  end  of  the  said  line  ;  and  the  said  proposals  for  contracts  shall 
appear  at  least  sixty  days  in  the  said  newspapers  prior  to  the  letting 
of  said  contracts,  which,  in  all  cases,  shall  be  let  to  the  lowest  bidder 
who  shall  give  sufficient  security  for  the  due  and  faithful  performance 
of  the  same  ;  and  that,  as  speedily  as  circumstances  will  permit,  the 
said  commissioners  shall  put  additional  sections  under  contract,  until 
the  whole  is  completed. 

Sec.  5.  And  be  it  further  enacted ,  That,  for  the  purpose  of  meeting 
the  current  expenditures  in  the  construction  of  the  said  roads  and 
telegraphic  line  of  communication,  all  surplus  money  in  the  United 
States  treasury  remaining  therein,  over  and  above  the  amounts  ap- 


99 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


propriated  by  Congress  to  meet  the  current  expenses  of  the  govern¬ 
ment,  shall  be  subject  to  the  drafts  of  the  said  commissioners,  or  of 
some  one  or  more  of  them  duly  authorized  by  the  whole,  to  meet  the 
monthly  estimates  as  certified  to  by  the  engineers  in  the  immediate 
charge  of  the  works  ;  and  that,  in  case  the  said  surplus  should  at  any 
time  he  inadequate  to  meet  the  requirements  of  said  current  expend¬ 
itures,  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  he  authorized  and  required  to 
issue  bonds  of  the  United  States,  in  sums  of  not  less  than  one  thousand 
dollars,  payable  in  thirty  years  from  date,  and  bearing  interest  at  the 
rate  of  five  per  centum  per  annum,  from  time  to  time,  according  to 
the  amounts  required  to  meet  the  said  estimates. 

Sec.  6.  And  be  it  further  enacted ,  That  to  secure  the  redemption  of 
the  aforesaid  bonds  at  maturity,  all  the  public  lands  not  otherwise 
appropriated,  belonging  to  the  United  States,  from  and  after  the  first 
day  of  July,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty  seven,  shall  be  set 
apart,  and  the  moneys  accruing  from  sales  thereof  shall  constitute  a 
sinking  fund  to  be  appropriated  to  that  purpose,  and  to  no  other 
whatever. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


23 


♦ 


MINORITY  REPORT. 


July  24,  1856. 


Mr.  Kedwell,  from  the  Select  Committee,  gave  notice  that  at  a  proper 
time  he  would  submit  the  following  minority  report : 

The  undersigned ,  a  member  of  the  Select  Committee ,  appointed  on  the 
21st  day  of  February ,  1856,  to  inquire  into  the  propriety  and  ex¬ 
pediency  of  building ,  or  aiding  to  build ,  one  or  more  railroads  from 
the  Mississippi  river  to  San  Francisco,  on  the  Pacific  ocean ,  dis¬ 
senting  from  the  opinions  of  the  majority  of  the  committee ,  begs  leave 
to  submit  the  following  report : 

In  considering  this  subject  the  undersigned  has  carefully  inquired — 
1st.  Is  a  railroad  between  the  settlements  upon  the  Pacific  coast 
and  those  upon  the  hanks  of  the  river  Mississippi  desirable? 

2d.  Is  a  railroad  (between  the  points  named)  feasible ,  at  a  first  cost 
for  construction,  and  a  subsequent  cost  for  maintenance,  which  is  at  all 
reasonable? 

3d.  If  a  railroad  between  the  said  points  is,  from  any  cause,  desi¬ 
rable,  and  is  feasible,  is  it  politic  for  the  government  of  the  United 
States  (admitting  it  has  the  constitutional  authority  to  do  so)  to  fore¬ 
stall  individual  enterprise,  and  construct  a  railroad  for  the  accommo¬ 
dation  of  trade  and  travel? 

4th.  If  it  is  impolitic  for  the  United  States  to  engage  in  a  competi¬ 
tion  with  its  own  citizens,  in  the  business  of  building  railroads  for  the 
use  of  persons  engaged  in  the  business  of  trade  and  travel,  can  the 
United  States,  with  propriety,  and  with  advantage  both  to  the  gov¬ 
ernment  and  to  the  trading  and  travelling  classes,  construct  a  national 
military  road,  or  a  postal  road,  and  then  lay  rails  upon  it  for  the  use 
both  of  the  government  and  of  traders  and  travellers  ? 

5th.  Admitting  a  railroad  from  the  Pacific  ocean  to  the  Mississippi 
river  is  desirable  ;  that  it  can  be  easily  and  cheaply  built ;  that  it  is 
politic,  in  this  particular  case,  to  interfere  with  the  individual  and 
State  enterprise  which  has  constructed  the  railroads  and  canals  of 
this  country  ;  that  there  is  propriety  and  wisdom  in  the  construction 
of  a  national  military  and  postal  railroad  to  be  used  in  copartnership, 
or  in  common,  by  government  and  by  individuals  ;  has  the  government 
of  the  United  States  constitutional  authority  to  push  individuals,  Terri¬ 
tories,  or  States  out  of  its  way,  and  enter  upon  the  construction,  con¬ 
trol,  and  management  of  a  railroad  for  the  use  and  benefit  either  of 
traders  or  of  mail  contractors  ?  Has  government  constitutional  authority 
to  build  other  than  a  military  road,  for  strictly  military  purposes,  in 
that  confined  and  exclusive  sense  which  defines  the  military  purposes 
of  Torts,  ships  of  war,  government  arsenals,  and  government  found¬ 
ries,  and  dedicates  them  to  exclusive  military  uses  ?  Under  the  plea 


24 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


of  providing  a  military,  can  Congress  constitutionally  proceed  to  con¬ 
struct  a  commercial  road? 

In  tlie  outset  the  committee  was  called  upon  to  consider  whether — 

First.  A  railroad  from  some  suitable  point  or  points  upon  the  Paci¬ 
fic  ocean  to  corresponding  ones  upon  the  Mississippi  river  is  desirable  f 

Upon  this  point  the  undersigned  has  no  doubt  whatever.  Good 
railroads  from  New  Orleans,  St.  Louis,  Chicago,  and  from  the  head 
of  Lake  Superior,  across  the  continent,  within  our  own  country,  to 
San  Diego,  San  Francisco,  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  and  Puget’s  sound, 
would,  in  peace  and  in  war,  be  productive  of  consequences  the  most 
beneficent  both  to  individuals  and  to  the  nation,  to  agriculture  and  to 
commerce,  to  manufactures,  and  to  the  mechanic  arts. 

Like  the  railroads  to  the  east  of  the  Mississippi,  those  west  of  it 
would  be  a  military  protection  and  a  commercial  convenience  of  a 
higher  character  than  any  known  to  the  ancients.  One  or  more  rail¬ 
roads  to  the  Pacific  from  the  Mississippi  may,  therefore,  be  justly 
considered  not  only  desirable ,  but  exceedingly  important,  in  every 
national  point  of  view. 

Second.  Is  a  railroad  between  the  Pacific  and  the  Mississippi  feasi - 
ble,  at  a  reasonable  cost  for  original  construction  and  subsequent 
support  ? 

Upon  this  point  there  is  a  decided  difference  of  opinion  between  a 
majority  of  the  committee  and  the  undersigned.  That  a  railroad  can 
be  built  over,  or  even  through ,  almost  any  mountain  in  this  country, 
by  an  able  engineer  who  has  at  his  command  ample  means  and  modern 
science,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt.  I  think  it  possible ,  perhaps,  to 
build  a  railroad  hence  to  the  Polar  sea,  or  even  up  the  lofty  heights 
of  the  Coochetopa  Pass  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  But  there  are  many 
mountains  in  this  country  over  the  heights  of  which  a  railroad  cannot 
be  built  at  a  reasonable  cost,  or  with  suitable  grades  and  curves,  or 
that  could  be  profitably  used  in  the  summer,  or  at  all  in  the  winter. 

After  bestowing  much  labor  upon  the  investigation  of  this  branch 
of  the  subject,  the  undersigned  is  convinced  that  no  route  has  yet  been 
discovered  to  exist  in  this  country,  between  the  northern  boundary 
line  of  Mexico  and  the  southern  boundary  line  of  the  British  posses¬ 
sions,  where  a  railroad  from  the  Pacific  to  the  Mississippi  can  be  loca¬ 
ted  wuth  such  grades  and  curves,  and  constructed  at  such  a  cost,  as 
would  justify  either  the  government,  or  individuals,  in  attempting  to 
build  it,  and  rely  upon  its  earnings  to  keep  it  in  repair  and  pay  for 
the  use  of  the  money  expended  even  one  per  cent,  per  annum  upon  the 
first  cost  of  the  road.  Nay,  it  is  exceedingly  doubtful  whether  a  road 
located  upon  the  best  known  route  could  be  maintained  from  its  earn¬ 
ings  during  the  first  ten  or  fifteen  years,  even  should  its  builders  be 
willing  to  sink  all  their  capital ,  and  abandon  the  road  to  whomsoever 
would  give  security  to  maintain  and  run  it.  And  at  the  end  of  that 
period  of  time,  money  would  have  to  be  obtained  to  rebuild  the  whole 
railroad — to  replace  the  iron  rails,  the  ties,  and  the  furniture  of  the 
road.  Could  the  debt  which  this  necessary  re-construction  would  caj^se 
to  be  created,  be  paid  within  the  next  then  ensuing  ten  or  fifteen  years 
from  the  mere  earnings  of  the  road  ?  And,  in  that  period,  would  the 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


25 


earnings  also  furnish  the  further  large  sum  with  which  to  again  re¬ 
build  the  road  ?  For  experience  teaches  that  ten  or  fifteen  years  is 
the  average  period  of  time  such  materials  last,  after  which  a  rebuild¬ 
ing  must  follow. 

Many  reasons  exist,  some  temporary  and  others  enduring,  which 
induce  the  belief  that  such  a  railroad  must  he  very  costly  to  construct, 
very  costly  to  maintain  in  an  effective  condition,  and  yet  would  pro¬ 
duce  hut  small  sums  of  money. 

Among  these  reasons,  the  chief  one  is  undoubtedly  to  he  found  in 
the  fact  that  vast  sterile  plains,  and  rugged,  extensive,  and  uninhab¬ 
ited  mountains  interpose  between  the  termini  of  the  railroad,  and 
must  be  crossed.  No  engineering  skill  can  teach  us  how  to  avoid 
these  arid  plains,  nor  how  to  turn  those  lofty  ranges  of  mountains, 
either  on  the  right  hand  or  on  the  left.  The  sand  plains  must  he 
crossed,  the  mountains  must  he  scaled.  No  route  has  yet  been  discov¬ 
ered,  north  or  south,  after  numerous  and  most  diligent  explorations, 
whose  mountain  passes  are  so  low  as  one  mile  high  above  the  level  of 
the  sea:  not  one.  All  are  more  than  one  mile  high. 

So  lofty,  irregular,  and  rugged  are  these  mountain  ranges,  it  is 
difficult  for  an  unpracticed  writer  to  find  language  to  convey  an  ade¬ 
quate  idea  of  their  real  character.  The  whole  mountain  region  ap¬ 
pears  as  though  it  had  been  uplifted  amid  some  great  convulsion  of 
nature  ;  broken,  irregular,  often  destitute  of  all  vegetation,  and  rarely 
exhibiting  even  small  sections  fit  for  cultivation  without  a  resort  to 
irrigation.  Water,  timber,  and  grasses  are  found  sufficiently  abund¬ 
ant  in  some  places  to  prove  the  existence  of  a  soil  suitable  for  agri¬ 
cultural  purposes,  hut  only  at  infrequent  and  distant  intervals.  Hun¬ 
dreds  of  miles  may  he  traversed,  on  this  side  of  the  Rocky  mountains , 
without  finding  timber  fit  to  make  even  an  axle-tree  or  an  axe-helve. 
Throughout  all  that  vast  region  of  desolation,  the  cold  and  the  hun¬ 
gry  traveller  finds  no  fuel  even  for  the  most  common  uses,  save  the 
dried  dung  of  the  animals  who  roam  over  it.  Along  the  Platte  valley 
route  (a  favorite  one  with  the  committee)  for  600  miles  upon  this  east¬ 
ern  side  of  the  South  Pass,  there  is  an  absolute  destitution  of  timber 
for  all  useful  purposes  whatsoever  ;  there  is  none  with  which  to  repair 
a  car,  or  to  replace  even  a  cross-tie. 

To  show  still  further  the  difficulty  of  building  a  railroad  through 
these  solitary  and  uninhabited  regions  at  any  cost,  and  the  improba¬ 
bility  of  its  furnishing  business  to  the  road  when  built,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  point  to  the  absence  of  water ,  involving,  as  that  lack 
does,  a  perpetual  absence  of  agricultural  pursuits  in  those  desolate  re¬ 
gions,  and  compelling  the  railroad  to  follow  the  endless  sinuosities  of 
the  streams,  in  order  to  obtain  a  needful  supply  of  the  indispensable 
element.  These  streams  are  but  few,  and  are  wholly  maintained  by 
the  snows  of  the  mountains  from  which  they  come.  A  single  glance 
at  a  map  delineating  the  Platte  river  from  its  mouth  to  Fort  Laramie, 
wfill  show  how  greatly  the  length  of  a  railroad  between  those  points 
must  be  elongated,  if  it  is  necessarily  located  along  the  banks  of  that 
crooked  river. 

But  other  difficulties,  besides  these  of  the  plains,  exist  in  and 
among  the  stupendous  mountains  lying  to  the  west  of  them.  These 
consist,  in  part,  of  the  vast  altitude,  not  only  of  the  mountains,  but 


26 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


also  of  the  lowest  passes  through  them,  the  narrowness,  depth,  and 
crookedness  of  the  defiles,  gorges,  and  canons,  and  the  greater  severity 
of  climate.  Even  on  the  South  Pass  route,  705  miles  lie  in  and 
among  these  mountains,  between  the  Rocky  and  the  Snowy  mount¬ 
ains,  which  are  more  than  3,000  feet  high  in  the  lowest  place. 

If  a  railroad  were  constructed  from  Washington  city  to  Boston  upon 
a  mountain  ridge  1,000  feet  higher  than  the  present  surface  of  the 
earth,  the  humblest  individual,  upon  seeing  it  elevated  above  him, 
could  readily  comprehend  its  increased  disadvantages  in  point  of  cli¬ 
mate.  Yet  the  extreme  southern  route,  via  El  Paso,  has  1,118  miles 
which  are  upwards  of  1,000  feet  high  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The 
extreme  northern  route  (from  Lake  Superior  to  Puget's  sound)  has 
1,555  miles  at  the  same  height;  the  Platte  River  and  South  Pass 
route  has  1,818  miles  ;  Col.  Benton’s  route,  through  Coochetopa,  has 
2,015;  and  the  St.  Louis  and  Albuquerque  route,  1,492  miles.  The 
levellest  has  over  1,100  miles,  and  the  highest  more  than  2,000  miles, 
which  are  more  than  1,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

Again:  the  most  northern  route  (which  is  the  levellest)  runs  over 
ground  of  the  following  elevations:  975  miles  are  at  a  height  of  more 
than  2,000  feet,  255  miles  exceed  3,000  feet  in  height,  125  miles  ex¬ 
ceed  4,000  feet,  and  28  miles  are  more  than  5,000  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea.  Its  loftiest  pass  is  6,044  feet  high. 

The  southern  route  has  747  miles  which  are  more  than  2,000  feet 
high  ;  620  miles  rise  higher  than  3,000  feet ;  520  miles  average  4,000 
feet;  and  28  miles  are  more  than  5,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea  !  Its  loftiest  pass  is  more  than  a  mile  high,  being  5,727  feet 
high. 

The  St.  Louis  and  Albuquerque  route  (Memphis  route  on  the  sur¬ 
vey)  has  1,153  miles  which  are  above  2,000  feet  high;  935  miles 
which  are  more  than  3,000  feet  high  ;  745  miles  which  are  4,000  feet 
high  ;  651  miles  which  are  5,000  feet  high  ;  317  miles  which  are 
6,000  feet  high  ;  and  25  miles  which  are  7,000  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea  !  Its  highest  pass  is  7,750  feet  high. 

The  Platte  river  and  South  Pass  route  has  1,579  miles  which  are 
more  than  2,000  feet  high  ;  1,432  miles  which  are  3,000  feet  high  ; 
1,278  miles  which  are  4,000  feet  high  ;  693  miles  which  are  above 
5,000  feet  high  ;  391  miles  which  are  more  than  6,000  feet  high  ;  119 
miles  which  are  more  than  7,000  feet  high  ;  and  16  miles  which  ris'e 
above  8,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea  !  Its  highest  pass  is  8,373 
feet  high  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

Colonel  Benton’s  route  over  the  heights  of  Coochetopa  it  is  not 
necessary  to  describe,  it  having  been  found  utterly  impracticable, 
being  about  two  miles  high.  The  highest  pass  yet  discovered  and 
measured  on  the  North  American  continent  is  Coochetopa  !  The 
heights  and  depths  of  the  adjacent  mountains  and  valleys  are  of  cor¬ 
responding  grandeur  and  impracticability. 

It  may  be  well  to  dwell  a  few  moments  upon  these  astounding 
geographical  and  topographical  facts.  The  northern  route  has  125 
miles  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  high,  and  28  miles  about  one  mile 
high.  The  southern  route  has  520  miles  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
high ,  and  28  miles  about  a  mile  high  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  These 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


27 


are  the  most  favorable  routes  according  to  the  official  surveys.  On 
the  Platte  River  and  South  Pass  route  it  is  still  worse,  1,278  miles  ex¬ 
ceeding  a  height  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile  ;  693  are  about  one  mile 
high ;  391  miles  are  about  one  mile  and  a  quarter  high  ;  and  16  miles 
are  about  one  mile  and  a  half  high  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

And  it  must  be  recollected  that  the  line  run  by  the  engineers  is  not 
upon  the  top  of  a  mountain  range,  but,  like  all  similar  routes  through 
lofty  ranges,  u  it  passes  through  gorges  and  narrow  defiles,  overhung 
by  rocks  and  by  mountain  peaks  of  the  most  terrific  altitude.  These 
mountains,  through  and  among  which  the  asked-for  railroad  would 
run,  are  from  7,000  to  10,000,  12,000,  and  even  16,000  feet  high.  In 
two  places  the  road  would  have  to  be  upwards  of  8,000  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  Amid  these  vast  solitudes  the  snow  must  necessarily 
drift  in  heaps  of  mountain  magnitude,  and,  it  is  said,  lies  unmelted 
during  by  far  the  larger  half  of  the  year.  If  the  art  of  man  could  by 
any  possibility  contrive  to  remove,  at  a  reasonable  expense  of  time 
and  money,  these  vast  masses  of  snow,  it  could  not  prevent  a  return  of 
the  labor  upon  the  recurrence  of  every  wintry  storm.  And  these 
storms  must  happen  late  in  the  spring  as  well  as  early  in  the  fall ; 
for  the  rains  of  the  lowlands  are  indices  of  snows  in  the  mountains. 
When  it  rains  in  the  valleys  it  generally  snows  in  the  mountains,  ex¬ 
cept  in  very  warm  weather/' — (Ho.  of  Peps.  Report  No.  773,  1st  sess. 
29th  Cong.,  on  a  railroad  through  the  South  Pass.) 

In  confirmation  of  these  views  the  undersigned  copies  the  following 
brief  paragraph  from  the  St.  Louis  Republican  of  May  30,  1856.  It 
is  embodied  in  a  letter  from  its  correspondent  at  Independence : 

u  The  Salt  Lake  mail  arrived  here  one  day  last  week,  but  had  been 
out  some  time,  detained  by  snow  and  high  water  ;  and  bringing  but 
little  news  of  interest,  I  thought  it  hardly  worth  to  advise  you." 

Here  it  is  ;  snows  in  the  mountains  and  high  waters  in  the  plains 
below  in  April  and  May,  sufficient  to  impede  the  p>cissage  of  mules  and 
horses  conveying  the  mails  through  the  passes  of  these  formidable 
mountains,  and  over  the  rivers  of  the  valleys.  Nor  is  this  a  solitary 
instance  in  an  extraordinary  year.  Such  detentions,  late  in  the 
spring  and  early  in  the  fall,  are  neither  new  nor  extraordinary  occur¬ 
rences.  They  are  as  certain  as  nature,  and  recur  with  the  seasons 
which  annually  produce  them.  Aware  of  the  depth  of  the  snow, 
and  its  long  continuance  upon  the  ground,  Colonel  Benton  proposes 
to  make  use  of  it  instead  of  idly  overlooking  its  existence.  Knowing 
the  usefulness  of  snow-shoes,  dog  trains,  and  sleighs,  he  long  since 
recommended  their  use  during  the  winter  season.  The  length  of 
time  such  appliances  could  be  annually  resorted  to  with  profit  was 
definitely  ascertained  and  stated  by  that  accurate  senator  more  than 
thirty  years  ago,  as  appears  from  a  debate  in  the  Senate  between  him 
and  Governor  Dickerson,  of  New  Jersey.  Governor  Dickerson  had 
ventured  to  start  some  “  difficulties  "  in  the  way  of  the  execution  of 
Colonel  Benton's  plans.  In  reply  Colonel  Benton  thought  there 
could  be  no  serious  difficulty  in  climbing  mountains  “  whose  aspiring 
summits  present  twelve  feet  of  defying  snow  to  the  burning  rays  of  a 
J  uly  sun .  The  passage  through  the  mountains  was  free  from  difficulty . 
For  eight  months  in  the  year  snoiv  and  sleighs  could  be  confidently 


28 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


relied  on.”  Five  and  twenty  years  afterwards,  with  all  the  lights 
before  him  which  modern  explorations  had  shed  on  the  subject,  Colo¬ 
nel  Benton  said,  in  a  very  elaborate  senatorial  speech  :  “  Mails  in  an 
uninhabited  country  of  more  than  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles, 
traversed  by  savages,  and  running  over  mountains  of  seven  or  eight 
thousand  feet,  where  deep  snows  lie  for  more  than  a  thousand  miles 
more  than  one  half  of  the  year ,  could  not  be  carried  by  a  solitary  con¬ 
veyance  of  a  contractor’s  man  or  boy.  Four  or  five  mounted  riflemen, 
going  together,  and  started  from  the  different  posts  to  relieve  each 
other,  alone  could  do  it.  In  winter  they  ivould  have  sleighs  draivn  by 
dogs ,  the  reliefs  always  being  ready  at  each  post.  A  non-commissioned 
officer  and  four  or  five  men,  relieved  at  each  post,  are  the  only  practi¬ 
cable  mail  carriers  over  such  a  line.” 

Since  the  delivery  of  that  speech,  a  mail  has  been  carried  between 
Independence  and  Salt  Lake,  over  the  mountains,  described  so  graph¬ 
ically,  and  in  a  manner  somewhat  like  that  stated.  The  sleds  and 
dogs  have  not  probably  been  used  by  the  mail  contractor,  though  in 
common  use  among  the  fur-traders. 

But  the  snows  are  not  obstructive  in  the  Rocky  mountains  only ; 
they  are  equally  troublesome  in  the  Sierra  Nevada.  Col.  Fremont 
says  :  “The  high  waters  came  from  the  melting  snows,  which,  during 
the  past  winter,  had  accumulated  to  a  great  depth  in  the  mountains, 
and ,  at  the  end  of  June,  lay  in  the  approaches  to  the  Bear  River  pass, 
on  a  breadth  of  ten  or  fifteen  miles ,  and  this  below  the  level  of  7,200 
feet.  In  rainy  seasons,  when  the  rains  begin  with  November,  and 
the  snoius  lie  on  the  mountains  till  July  ,”  &c.  See  Geographical  Me¬ 
moir,  page  19.  The  same  work,  page  7,  fixes  the  latitude  of  that 
pass  at  39°  17'  12". 

These  facts  show  luliy  Colonel  Benton,  in  his  “bill  to  provide  for 
the  location  and  construction  of  a  central  national  road  from  the 
Pacific  ocean  to  the  Mississippi  river,”  did  not  provide  for  the  con¬ 
struction  of  a  railroad  all  the  way.  He  knew  the  rail-car  could  be 
used  only  in  summer,  and  he  expected  to  use  “some  other  convey¬ 
ance — the  sleigh,  for  example — for  that  region,  in  the  time  of  the 
snows.”  Section  3d  of  his  bill,  in  accordance  with  this  his  intention, 
begins  thus :  “And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  the  said  central  and 
branch  roads  shall  be  iron  railways,  where  practicable  and  advan¬ 
tageous,  and  shall  be  macadamized ,  or  otherwise  constructed ,  where 
not  so  practicable  and  advantageous.” 

But  the  bill  of  a  majority  of  this  committee  provides  for  the  con¬ 
struction  of  railroads,  and  railroads  only ,  through  the  passes  where 
Messrs.  Benton  and  Fremont  inform  us  the  snows  lie  from  six  to 
eight  months  in  the  year,  and  where  only  dogs  and  sleds  can  be  profit¬ 
ably  used  for  the  conduction  of  an  East  Indian  business.  Those  gen¬ 
tlemen  have  explored  the  capacities  of  the  several  routes,  and  it  is 
most  respectfully  submitted,  whether,  when  they  have  pronounced  in 
favor  of  dogs  and  sleighs,  “in  the  time  of  the  snows,”  all  neophytes 
cannot  by  opponents  be  considered  as  fairly  concluded,  ?  It  is  submit¬ 
ted  whether,  when  they  have  decided  for  dogs  and  sleighs  “where 
deep  snows  lie  for  more  than  a  thousand  miles  more  than  one-half  of 
the  year,”  men  of  less  knowledge  of  those  vast  mountain  regions  are 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


29 


justifiable  in  attempting  to  induce  an  inexperienced  Congress  to  sub¬ 
stitute  engines  and  cars  for  dogs  and  sleds  ?  Whether  it  is  seemly  to 
attempt  to  beguile  Congress  into  the  making  of  an  effort  to  substitute 
the  railway  for  the  dog-path,  even  among  those  extraordinary  mount¬ 
ains,  u  whose  aspiring  summits  present  twelve  feet  of  defying  snow  to 
the  burning  rays  of  a  July  sun?” 

Not  wishing,  however,  to  appear  anxious  to  limit  the  enterprising 
disposition  of  the  majority,  even  when  it  seems  to  inconsiderately 
trample  under  foot  the  mountainous  knowledge  of  Messrs.  Benton  and 
Fremont,  nor  even  when  adventuring  to  build  railroads  a  mile  and  a 
half  high ,  through  regions  where  snow  lies  on  the  ground  for  a  thou¬ 
sand  miles  during  six  continuous  months  of  the  year,  the  undersigned 
will  not  further  press  this  point,  but  proceed  to  call  attention  to  the 
difficulty  of  running  a  railroad  on  the  plains  this  side  of  the  Rocky 
mountains  during  several  months  of  the  year. 

As  Colonel  Benton  and  Colonel  Fremont  are  leading  friends  of  a 
railroad,  of  course,  when  their  evidence  is  unfriendly  to  the  road,  it  is 
to  be  considered  strictly  reliable  and  conclusive  against  the  road,  for 
their  attacks  are  necessarily  unwilling  attacks,  and  only  made  be¬ 
cause  truth  compels  them  so  to  do.  Speaking  of  the  severity  of  storms 
on  the  plains,  and  of  Colonel  Fremont’s  skill  in  sheltering  himself, 
Colonel  Benton  says :  ce  He  has  been  safe  in  his  camp,  in  a  grove  of 
wood,  during  a  snow-storm  which  killed  all  animals  on  the  prairie ; 
witness  the  loss  of  about  a  thousand  head  of  government  oxen  return¬ 
ing  from  New  Mexico  in  1848,  while  he,  in  the  same  snow-storm, 
sheltered  by  ivoods,  lost  not  an  animal,”  &c.,  &c.  This  storm  was 
south  of  the  Platte  river,  south  of  the  Kansas  river,  and  upon  a  part 
of  the  plain  only  some  1,800  or  2,000  feet  high.  But  suppose  he  had 
been  caught  ten  miles  from  timber — it  is  not  necessary  to  say  100  or 
200  miles — neither  Colonel  Fremont  himself ,  nor  his  oxen  and  mules, 
could  have  possibly  have  escaped  alive  from  the  horrors  of  that  howl¬ 
ing  tempest.  So  rapid  is  the  fall  of  the  snow,  and  so  resistless  do  the 
winds  sweep  over  those  almost  boundless  plains,  it  is  quite  impossible 
to  gain  a  distant  shelter. 

So  with  a  train  of  cars  running  up  the  plain  from  Iowa  or  Missouri 
to  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  a  distance  of  some  800  miles, 
how,  in  a  storm,  is  shelter,  or  wood,  or  water,  or  food,  to  be  gained? 
Arrested  800  miles  from  Iowa  in  November,  how  is  a  train  of  cars  to 
be  relieved  before  May  ?  By  what  means  could  it  even  be  visited  ? 
In  such  a  case  the  sheltering  skill  would  be  useless.  To  talk  of  doing 
business  in  the  winter  season  on  a  road  through  such  a  region,  though, 
every  conductor  was  a  Kit  .Carson  and  every  traveller  a  Fremont, 
would  seem  to  be  idle  and  preposterous.  The  attempt  would  soon 
make  mule-meat  fashionable,  and  u  thrilling  narratives”  super¬ 
abundant. 

It  is  supposed  that  no  one  believes  a  railroad  which  can  be  used  but 
from  four  to  six  months  a  year  will  prove  a  desirable  and  paying 
road. 

As  to  the  road  from  El  Paso  to  California,  the  same  high  railroad 
authority,  Col.  Benton,  says  it  passes  over  a  country  so  sandy,  sterile, 
and  desolate,  that  a  ‘ i  wolf  could  not  make  his  living!”  Devoid  of 


30 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


water,  fuel,  soil,  food,  and  population,  it  is  indeed  difficult  to  see  why 
a  costly  road  should  be  built  across  a  country  which  few  have  seen 
and  no  one  will  inhabit.  The  swiftest  riding  for  four  and  twenty 
hours  on  the  fleetest  horse  may  fail  to  convey  the  traveller  to  the  res¬ 
idence  of  any  human  being  ;  and  this  holds  good  of  every  route, 
north  and  south,  recommended  by  the  committee  !  If  the  cc  way  busi¬ 
ness”  is  the  chief  reliance  of  every  road  in  New  York  and  New  Eng¬ 
land,  what  can  be  expected  of  roads,  the  way  business  of  either  one 
of  which,  for  a  distance  of  1,500  miles,  would  scarcely  exceed  the 
business  furnished  by  the  most  insignificant  county  in  the  whole  State 
of  New  York,  along  a  line  of  15  miles?  Who  expects  a  population 
of  half  a  million  of  souls,  including  men,  women,  and  children,  to 
supply  business  enough  to  support  three  railroads,  each  road  2,000 
miles  long,  running  over  mountains  covered  with  snow,  and  across 
deserts  of  sand  ?  That  eminent  friend  of  the  scheme  of  building  a 
railroad  across  those  lofty  plains,  covered  only  with  artemisia,  and 
only  inhabited,  here  and  there,  by  wandering  tribes  who  gain  a  pre¬ 
carious  subsistence  by  digging  roots  and  gathering  snails,  thus  de¬ 
scribes  one  portion  of  a  route  recently  surveyed  for  a  road  :  “  Then 

comes  the  Mohahve,  which  it  ascends  and  crosses  ten  times  ;  a  river  of 
sand — swallowed  up  in  sand — and  percolating  through  a  desert  of 
sand,  rolling  like  the  leaves  of  the  ocean  under  the  action  of  the  wind  ! 
where  neither  man  nor  beast  could  lie  down  or  stand  still  without  be¬ 
ing  buried  alive — but  not  to  remain  long  alive — under  a  tumulus  of 
sand !  ’ J 

And  yet  this  route,  bad  as  Col.  Benton  considers  it,  is  believed  by 
Kit  Carson  (another  Pacific  railroad  man)  to  be  the  best  of  any  !  If 
the  best,  what  must  be  the  characteristics  of  the  worst?  Carson 
says : 

“  I  know  but  one  route  across  the  continent  which  can  be  travelled 
winter  and  summer,  and  over  a  remarkably  level  country,  and  that 
one  must  cross  the  Kio  Grande  del  Norte  within  fifty  or'  sixty  miles 
of  Sante  Fe,  and  from  thence  as  direct  as  the  nature  of  the  country 
will  allow.  There  is  no  manner  of  doubt  that  the  trail  from  Albu¬ 
querque  by  Zuni,  along  the  headwaters  of  the  streams  that  run  into 
the  Gila,  and  then  crossing  the  Big  river  about  the  Mohahve,  and  so 
on,  is  the  easiest  road  that  can  be  found.  Any  old  mountaineer,  that 
knows  anything  about  it ,  will  say  that  the  southern  route  through 
New  Mexico  is  the  best.  The  South  Pass  1  consider  almost  impracti¬ 
cable.  The  snows  lie  early  and  late,  in  both  the  rocky  and  snowy 
mountain  countries.” 

These  authorities  are  quoted  because  friendly  to  the  scheme.  How 
terrible  are  the  obstacles  which  they  show  to  be  in  the  way  of  build¬ 
ing  a  railroad  through  these  mountains  and  deserts  !  They  are  also 
quoted  to  show  how  unreliable  and  how  contradictory  are  the  author¬ 
ities  upon  which  Congress  is  called  to  act  in  a  matter  of  such  large 
public  concern.  Take  this  very  route  recommended  by  Kit  Carson, 
the  most  skilful  mountaineer  in  the  world  ;  not  only  does  he  and 
Col.  Benton  differ  in  their  estimates  of  its  availability  and  value,  but 
great  differences  exist  in  the  estimates  of  the  engineers.  At  the 
last  Congress  the  cost  of  the  road  from  Fort  Smith,  by  way  of  Albu- 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


31 


querque,  to  San  Francisco,  was  estimated  at  tlie  sum  of  $175,877,265. 
Ifc  is  now  estimated  at  $94,720,000.  Difference,  $81,157,265. 

Here  is  a  reduction  in  one  year,  and  without  any  materially  addi¬ 
tional  surveys,  of  more  than  eighty-one  millions  of  dollars!  And  we 
are  told  by  the  engineer  in  his  report  that  “  it  is  believed  by  him  that 
the  amount  will  be  much  diminished  !” 

Now,  whether  the  first  estimate  was  submitted  in  order  to  exhibit 
in  favorable  contrast  the  route  a  couple  of  hundred  miles  south  of  it, 
and  the  second  one  to  conciliate  those  great  central  interests  that  had 
been  injured  by  the  first,  or  whether  it  was  truly  and  verily  a  mathe¬ 
matical  mistake  of  eiglity-one  millions  of  dollars,  it  is  quite  foreign 
from  the  purpose  of  the  undersigned  to  inquire.  The  discrepancy 
exists.  Nor  is  it  intended  to  charge,  nor  to  intimate,  that  the  discrep¬ 
ancy  cannot  be  accounted  for  in  a  manner  consistent  with  the  highest 
sense  of  honor  ;  but  it  is  intended  to  intimate,  and  to  broadly  assert, 
that  when  the  friends  of  a  gigantic  measure,  which  threatens  to  in¬ 
volve  our  country  in  a  huge  national  debt,  admit  the  existence  of  natu¬ 
ral  obstacles  of  the  gravest  character  on  each  route  ;  when  the  engi¬ 
neers  admit  the  existence  of  mistakes  in  their  estimates  to  an  amount 
of  more  than  eighty-one  millions  of  dollars,  (an  amount  almost  equal 
to  the  cost  of  the  revolutionary  war,)  it  is  both  proper  and  called  for 
to  refuse  to  act  upon  authority  which  may  be  so  justly  characterized 
as  unreliable. 

Even  if  a  national  railroad  ought  to  be  built  by  the  general  gov¬ 
ernment,  it  were  temerity  to  enter  upon  its  construction  with  the  pres¬ 
ent  uncertain  information  now  before  Congress.  Undoubtedly  a  road 
from  Baltimore,  by  the  way  of  Wheeling,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  Al¬ 
buquerque,  and  Zuili,  to  San  Francisco, ^  would  avoid  most  of  the 
snows  on  the  one  hand,  and  most  of  the  sandy  plains  on  the  other. 
Undoubtedly,  too,  it  would  well  accommodate  both  sections  of  the  na¬ 
tion.  The  temptation,  on  the  part  of  rival  routes,  is  very  great  to 
exaggerate  the  estimates  of  its  cost.  The  temptation  to  cut  down  its 
cost  is  equally  great  on  the  part  of  its  friends. 

And  yet  this  central  route — the  most  fairly  located  of  any  to  ac¬ 
commodate  the  mass  of  the  people  and  the  great  cities,  and  therefore 
having  far  the  most  political  strength  of  either  route — is  the  route  the 
estimates  of  the  cost  of  which  have  been  subjected  to  such  a  serious 
mistake. 

If  grave  mistakes  were  committed  on  a  route  where  more  care  and 
more  labor  would  be  likely  to  be  bestowed  upon  estimates  of  cost  than 
upon  the  estimates  of  cost  of  the  less  important  routes  upon  each  side 
of  it,  what  reliance  ought  to  be  placed  upon  the  estimates  of  cost  made 
up  for  routes  of  minor  importance  ?  Surely  greater  care,  greater  labor, 
and  greater  pains-taking,  were  not  likely  to  be  bestowed  upon  the 
lesser  objects  than  upon  the  greater. 

Viewed  in  any  aspect,  reliance  ought  not  to  be  placed  upon  the  es¬ 
timates  submitted — certainly  not  to  such  an  extent  as  to  base  action 
that  will  impose  a  national  debt  upon  the  people.  This  is  proved  by 
a  moment’ s  reflection.  The  Boston  and  Worcester  railroad  has  been 
in  existence  about  twenty  years,  and  its  present  cost  per  mile  is  about 
$71,000,  including  equipment,  &c.  Now,  if  that  road,  with  all  its 


32 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


conveniences  of  material  and  labor,  has  cost  $71,000  per  mile,  will 
not  the  cost  of  a  railroad  amid  those  vast  solitudes  in  the  rocky  and 
snowy  mountains  exceed  the  cost  of  the  Boston  and  Worcester  twice 
or  three  times,  even  at  the  end  of  one  year’s  running,  instead  of  twenty 
years  ?  Take  either  of  the  roads — from  Shrevesport,  Springfield,  In¬ 
dependence,  or  Council  Bluffs,  to  San  Francisco — the  distance  exceeds 
two  thousand  miles  ;  at  the  cost  of  the  Boston  and  Worcester  railroad 
either  road  would  cost  one  hundred  and  forty-two  millions  of  dollars  ; 
at  double  the  cost,  would  be  two  hundred  and  eightv-four  millions  of 
dollars  ;  at  three  times  the  cost,  the  cost  would  be  four  hundred  and 
twenty-six  millions  of  dollars.  The  latter  will  be  about  the  true  cost 
of  either  road  ten  years  from  the  date  of  its  being  sufficiently  com¬ 
pleted  to  be  used — -for  a  railroad  is  never  finished.  The  Boston  and 
Worcester  railroad  (probably  the  best  managed  road  in  this  country) 
when  put  in  use,  in  1835,  had  cost  $1,160,553  ;  in  1853,  the  cost  was 
$4,850,784.  True,  the  company  built  branches  twenty-four  miles 
long,  but  they  cost  only  some  $595,000  ;  thus  increasing  its  cost  three 
times  in  eighteen  years,  after  deducting  the  cost  of  its  branches  !  A 
^  road  may  be  quoted  as  having  been  cheaply  built,  or  dearly,  and  both 
quotations  may  be  true ;  this  is  done  by  stating  the  cost  at  different 
periods. 

It  being  evident  that  the  cost  of  building  and  maintaining  these 
Pacific  railroads  will  ultimately  be  thrown  upon  the  United  States,  if 
the  bill  of  the  majority  of  this  committee  shall  become  a  law,  it  is 
deemed  important  that  Congress  shall  have  some  positive  knowledge 
of  the  costliness  of  the  u  bargain  ”  they  are  buying,  and  hence  the  fol¬ 
lowing  official  table  is  submitted ;  it  thoroughly  explains  itself,  and 
is  most  instructive : 


BOSTON  AND  WORCESTER  RAILROAD. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH 


33 


% 


34 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


As  in  the  case  of  the  Boston  and  Worcester  railroad,  so  would  it  he 
with  the  Pacific  railroads — the  steady  increase  of  the  cost  would  he 
as  u reliable/’  and  could  as  safely  he  counted  upon  as  Colonel  Ben¬ 
ton's  twelve  feet  of  (t  defying  snow  to  the  burning  rays  of  a  July 
sun."  If  that  road,  under  good  management,  increased  its  cost  300 
per  cent,  in  fifteen  years,  the  Pacific  roads  would  certainly  do  no 
better,  and  probably  would  do  far  worse.  Supposing  one  of  them 
built  for  200  or  300  millions  of  dollars,  the  same  sum ,  if  it  was  man¬ 
aged  as  well  as  the  Boston  and  Worcester  road,  woidd  have  to  be 
expended  every  five  years.  If  not  as  well  managed,  the  expenditure 
would  be  far  more. 

This  becomes  serious  when  it  is  known  that  it  is  impossible  for  the 
earnings  of  the  road  to  pay  its  annual  expenses.  Could  it  for  a  few 
years  pay  7  per  cent,  dividend  per  year,  after  paying  all  expenses,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  Boston  and  Worcester  road,  it  might  go  on  for  a 
few  years,  perhaps,  but  bankruptcy  would  surely  overtake  it.  No 
railroad  company  can  long  escape  insolvency  if  every  five  years  a  sum 
equal  to  its  entire  first  cost  must  be  added  to  its  aggregate  cost.  And 
if  a  well-managed  road  in  New  England  did  not  escape  this  necessity 
during  the  first  fifteen  years  of  its  existence,  how  can  we  reasonably 
expect  a  railroad  to  do  better  that  is  managed  by  remote,  ill-regulated, 
and  irresponsible  subordinates,  amid  the  Rocky  and  Snowy  mountains, 
one,  two,  and  three  thousand  miles  distant  from  the  controlling  power 
at  Washington  city — especially  when  both  superior  and  inferior 
managers  were  appointed  by  politicians,  in  reward  for  past,  and  in 
expectation  of  future,  political  services?  It  is  believed  to  be  pre¬ 
posterous  to  suppose  that  efficiency  and  economy  could  possibly  flow 
from  such  a  source  in  political  times  like  the  present.  And,  besides, 
while  a  rigid  supervision  may  be  maintained  over  a  road  only  forty- 
four  miles  long,  where  every  employee,  of  all  grades  of  service,  is 
daily  under  the  eye  of  stockholders,  as  well  as  directors,  such  effective 
supervision  cannot  be  had,  on  any  terms,  when  the  employees  are  far 
removed  from  such  an  all-pervading  influence,  and  such  a  multiplied 
oversight. 

But  to  return.  The  cost  of  the  Boston  and  Worcester  railroad 
(44f  miles  long)  was,  in  1855,  including  equipments,  $4,865,439  03; 
th'e  cost  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  (248  miles  long)  was,  in  1855, 
$10,245,000,  and  the  outfit  $2,900,000 — total  cost,  $13,145,000  ;  the 
cost  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad  (379  miles  long)  was,  in 
1855,  including  equipments,  real  estate,  and  $996,777  26  expended 
on  a  second  track,  $22,760,205  05  ;  the  cost  of  the  New  York  and 
Erie  railroad  (460  miles  long)  was,  in  1855,  including  equipments, 
$33,742,817  11  ;  the  cost  of  the  New  York  Central  railroad  (297  miles 
long)  was,  in  1855,  including  equipments,  $27,360,731  05  ;  the  cost 
of  the  Western  railroad,  Massachusetts,  (155  miles  long,)  was,  in  1855, 
including  equipments,  $10,495,504  96. 

The  total  length  of  these  six  railroads,  more  important,  and  located 
amidst  a  more  dense  population  than  any  other  six  railroads  in  the 
United  States,  is  1,589  miles.  Having  command  of  labor,  food,  ma¬ 
terials,  and  skill,  on  the  best  possible  terms,  upon  the  very  line  of  the 
roads,  and  throughout  their  extent,  their  builders  constructed  them 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


35 


at  far  cheaper  rates  than  can  he  hoped  for  upon  the  sand  plains,  or 
upon  the  snowy  mountains,  far  distant  from  the  habitations  of  men. 
And  yet  the  cost  of  building  and  equipping  those  1,589  miles,  in  the 
best  part  of  the  country,  was  $112,369,697  20  !  which  is  over  $70,000 
per  mile,  and  but  a  very  small  part  of  it  double  track  ! 

In  the  face  of  this  experience  of  the  cost  of  building  railroads  in  the 
most  populous  portions  of  the  United  States,  the  engineers  have  sub¬ 
mitted  official  statements,  estimating  the  cost  of  building  a  railroad 
from  Fulton,  in  Arkansas,  through  Texas,  over  waterless  sand-plains 
and  across  lofty  mountains,  2,075  miles,  to  San  Francisco,  in  Califor¬ 
nia,  at  the  sum  of  $87,990,000  !  They  officially  state,  for  our  official 
guidance,  that,  in  their  opinions,  a  road  480  miles  longer  than  those 
six  railroads,  and  at  $24,379,697  20  less  cost  than  what  we  know 
those  six  roads  cost,  can  be  built  across  those  uninhabited,  barren, 
and  irregular  mountains  ! 

They  also  estimate  that  the  shortest  southern  route,  (from  Fort 
Smith  to  San  Francisco,)  which  is  2,025  miles  long,  can  be  built  for 
the  sum  of  $94,720,000.  This  road  is  436  miles  longer  than  the  six 
roads  referred  to,  and  yet  they  estimate  that  it  can  be  built  for 
$17,649,697  20  less  money  ! 

Without  the  examination  of  a  single  figure  to  see  wherein  the  en¬ 
gineers  have  erred,  does  not  the  judgment  of  every  well-informed  man 
instruct  him  at  once  that  such  estimates  cannot  be  relied  upon  by  any 
considerate  person  ?  Who  would  take  stock  and  expend  his  money  in 
furtherance  of  a  scheme  based  upon  estimates  so  entirely  at  war  with 
all  the  experience  of  railroad  men,  especially  if  the  estimates  were 
made  by  army  engineers,  who  have  had  no  practical  acquaintance  with 
the  business  of  railroad  building  ?  And  shall  the  nation  be  less  con¬ 
siderate  in  the  appropriation  of  its  money  than  individuals  ?  Surely 
not. 

The  undersigned  has  heard  no  practical  railroad  man  estimate  the 
cost  of  constructing  a  railroad  upon  the  deserts  and  in  the  mountains, 
far  removed  from  the  labor  and  the  materials  which  have  to  be  con¬ 
veyed  there  from  the  ends  of  the  road,  at  so  low  a  price  as  twice  the 
cost  of  building  the  best  roads  in  the  eastern  States,  where  materials, 
labor,  and  food  are  close  at  hand.  A  road  2,075  miles  long,  at  only 
$70,000  per  mile,  (which  is  the  average  cost  of  the  six  large  eastern 
railroads,)  would  cost$145, 250, 000,  instead  of  costing  only  $87, 990, 000, 
as  estimated  by  the  engineers,  for  the  guidance  of  Congress  ;  and  the 
road  2,025  miles  long,  at  $70,000  per  mile,  would  cost  $141,750,000; 
whereas  the  latest  estimates  of  the  engineers  tell  us  it  can  be  built 
for  $94,720,000. 

But  it  is  not  believed  that  either  of  the  two  roads  can  be  built  for 
$70,000  per  mile.  A  double-track  road — and  no  other  could  be  safely 
used  in  deserts  and  mountains  far  removed  from  the  abodes  of  men — 
cannot,  in  the  opinion  of  the  undersigned,  be  built  and  suitably 
equipped  for  the  transaction  of  a  business  gigantic  enough  to  pay  legal 
interest  upon  its  cost,  short  of  $140,000  per  mile  ;  it  is  not  at  all  cer¬ 
tain  that  it  can  be  built  for  double  $70,000  per  mile — $140,000  per 
mile.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  at  what  cost  cross-ties  and  rails  can 
be  conveyed  hundreds  of  miles  ;  at  what  cost  grading,  embanking, 


36 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


and  blasting  can  be  done,  when  laborers,  and  food,  and  tools,  are  to 
be  conveyed,  more  than  a  thousand  miles.  Having  no  experience  to 
teach  us,  we  are  compelled  to  wander  in  the  wilderness  of  conjecture. 
If  the  experience  of  the  United  States  in  conveying  stores  high  up 
the  plains  is  in  any  way  applicable,  it  would  teach  us  that  the  cost  of 
heavy  articles  is  largely  multiplied  by  the  mere  expense  of  transpor¬ 
tation.  The  opinion  is  entertained  that  all  estimates  of  cost  of  public 
works  in  distant  mountains  and  sultry  deserts  are  in  danger  of  being 
too  loiv  rather  than  too  high  ;  the  tendency  of  the  mind  is  to  constantly 
refer  to  similar  work  done  elsewhere,  though  the  surrounding  cir¬ 
cumstances  may  be  wholly  unlike.  No  hesitation  is  felt  in  placing 
upon  record  the  opinion,  that  no  railroad  2,000  miles  long,  from  the 
valley  of  the  Mississippi  to  San  Francisco,  upon  any  route  whatever , 
can  be  built  and  stocked  for  $100,000  per  mile — $200,000,000.  For 
however  cheaply  built,  the  road  will  require  an  immense  stock  to 
enable  it  to  have  sufficient  capacity  to  earn  interest  upon  the  prodi¬ 
gious  expenditures  of  money  its  building  will  necessarily  involve. 

A  few  additional  thoughts,  and  the  subject  of  the  feasibility  of  build¬ 
ing  a  railroad  from  the  Pacific  across  the  mountains  to  the  Missis¬ 
sippi  river,  at  a  remunerative  cost,  will  be  dismissed. 

Suppose  a  railroad  can  be  built  as  desired,  and  at  a  cost  not  exceed¬ 
ing  $70,000  per  mile,  which  is  a  cost  of  $140,000,000  for  2,000  miles. 
The  interest  on  that  sum,  per  year,  is  $8,400,000.  That  road  is  a 
well  managed  one  which,  after  paying  all  expenses,  saves  45  to  48 
per  cent  of  its  earnings  ;  but,  in  this  case,  suppose  one-half  of  the 
earnings  are  saved,  and  can  be  counted  as  clear  profit.  To  clear  a 
profit  of  $8,500,000  with  which  to  pay  the  interest,  the  road  would 
have  to  do  a  business  of  twice  that  amount,  or  $17,000,000  per  year  ! 
Does  any  reflecting  man  suppose  that  a  community  of  500,000  souls 
on  the  Pacific  coast  can  do  an  overland  business,  (which  is,  in  all 
cases,  less  than  the  maritime  business  of  a  people  having  a  sea-coast 
extending  and  meandering  through  seventeen  degrees  of  latitude,) 
the  very  cost  of  transporting  ivhich  exceeds  $17,000,000? 

Let  us  look  at  this  in  a  practical  way.  The  entire  value  of  the 
foreign  imports  of  California  by  both  sea  and  land,  during  the  past  year, 
amounted  only  to  $5,951,379  ;  the  foreign  exports  to  $8,224,066 — 
total  $14,175,445.  Of  these  exports,  no  less  than  $1,034,651  con¬ 
sisted  of  “  foreign  produce/’  which  was  not  wanted,  and  therefore 
was  sent  to  other  countries.  These  figures  were  obtained  at  the  Treas¬ 
ury,  and  may  be  relied  on.  Now,  if  the  entire  value  of  the  foreign 
commerce  of  California  is  only  about  $14,000,000,  what  was  the  price 
paid  for  carrying  to  and  from  California  that  $14,000,000  worth  of 
goods?  If  that  commerce  had  consisted  wholly  of  iron,  beef,  pork, 
flour,  naval  stores,  &c.,  the  cost  of  freighting  it  hither  and  thither 
would  have  been  about  one-tenth  of  the  value  of  the  articles  carried — - 
say  $1,500,000.  If  that  commerce  had  consisted  wholly  of  brandy, 
the  cost  of  carrying  it  would  have  been  about  one-fortieth  or  one-fif¬ 
tieth  of  its  value — say  $350,000.  If  that  commerce  had  consisted  en¬ 
tirely  of  cloths,  (whether  of  wool,  cotton,  or  silk,)  the  freight  would 
have  amounted  to  a  very  small  sum  of  money. 

And  here  it  is  well  to  recall  a  great  fact,  viz  :  that  of  the  commerce 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


37 


of  the  United  States,  whether  foreign  or  domestic,  but  an  insignificant 
part  is  conveyed  upon  railroads.  The  great  body  of  the  trade  is  done 
upon  the  ocean,  the  lakes,  the  rivers,  the  canals,  and  upon  plank  and 
gravel  roads.  The  business  of  freighting  done  upon  railroads,  im¬ 
portant  as  it  truly  is,  may,  when  contrasted  with  that  done  upon  the 
water,  be  safely  pronounced  insignificant. 

It  is  also  safe  to  say  that  the  freight  of  the  $14,000,000  of  California 
commerce  for  the  year  1855  did  not  probably  exceed  one  and  a  half 
millions  of  dollars  ;  probably  considerably  less. 

Supposing  that  the  freights  earned  on  domestic  goods  sent  to  and 
from  California  by  shippers  from  the  Atlantic  ports  of  the  United 
States  during  the  year  1855  amounted  to  three  millions  of  dollars  ; 
the  aggregate  freights  earned  by  shippers  of  foreign  and  domestic 
goods  would  be  four  or  four  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars — an  ag¬ 
gregate  by  far  above  the  reality. 

By  adding  the  fares  for  all  passengers  to  and  from  California,  by 
sea  and  by  land,  in  1855,  the  aggregate  income  from  passengers,  and. 
from  freights,  at  the  high  rates  assumed,  might  amount  to  some  five 
or  six  millions  of  dollars. 

But  a  small  portion  of  this  trade  could  be  taken  away  from  ship¬ 
pers  ;  and  even  if  it  could,  it  would  go  but  part  way  towards  sup¬ 
porting  one  railroad  instead  of  maintaining  three ,  recommended  by 
the  committee.  But  a  small  portion  of  the  freight  of  any  country 
that  is  favored  with  an  extensive  sea-coast  is  conveyed  upon  roads  of 
any  kind,  except  to  and  from  the  seaports.  This  holds  true,  not  only 
with  New  York,  but  also  with  the  interior  States  of  Ohio,  Michigan, 
Indiana,  Kentucky,  Illinois,  and  Missouri ;  the  great  mass  of  the 
freight  of  each  one  of  which  States  is  carried  to  market  by  water,  and 
not  by  land  conveyances.  The  Ohio,  and  the  Mississippi,  and  the 
Illinois  rivers,  and  the  lakes,  and  their  connecting  canals,  bear  upon 
their  bosoms  a  hundred  times  more  tons  of  freight  than  all  the  rail¬ 
roads  in  all  the  States  which  border  upon  those  waters. 

So  (only  in  a  greater  degree)  with  the  ocean  conveyances  contrasted 
with  roads.  How  numerous  are  the  instances  where  articles  are  con¬ 
veyed  hundreds  of  miles  along  the  Atlantic  coast  in  light  vessels,  and 
laid  down  at  the  seaports,  and  sold  at  a  less  price  than  the  same  arti¬ 
cles  brought  in  upon  roads  only  some  fifteen  or  twenty  miles.  Any 
member  of  Congress  can  learn  of  various  instances  of  this  kind  by  in¬ 
quiring  of  business  men  in  this  very  city.  And  Congress  is  not  at 
liberty  to  be  blind  to  the  existence  of  facts  in  relation  to  the  relative 
cost  of  water  and  land  transportation  which  bear  so  directly  upon  the 
feasibility  of  those  great  mountain  roads,  considered  in  an  economical 
point  of  view. 

To  show  that  the  shipping  interest  is  really  and  truly  able  to 
maintain  its  business  undiminished  in  the  face  of  any  competition 
which  any  mountain  railroad  can  possibly  start  against  it,  and  that 
railroads  cannot  take  it  away  from  the  ship-owners,  attention  is  in¬ 
vited  to  the  various  letters  appended  to  this  report.  Not  being  per¬ 
sonally  acquainted  with  large  shipping  merchants  of  intelligence  and 
probity  in  the  northern  cities,  the  Speaker  of  the  House  (and  this 
occasion  is  gladly  embraced  to  make  acknowledgments  for  the  cheer- 


88 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


ful  politeness  with  which  the  service  was  rendered)  enclosed  the  in- 
quiries  of  the  undersigned  to  eminent  Boston  merchants.  Mr.  Wm. 
Sturgis,  who,  in  the  language  of  the  Speaker,  “is  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  intelligent  merchants  of  this  country/ *  says,  “  I  am  unable 
to  give  the  relative  cost  of  transportation  over  the  several  routes  named 
in  the  memorandum  ;  hut,  assuming  four  cents  per  ton  per  mile  as 
the  lowest  rate,  and  the  shortest  route  from  New  York  to  San  Fran¬ 
cisco  to  he  2,500  miles,  it  would  cost  one  hundred  dollars  to  carry  a 
ton  of  goods  from  one  of  these  cities  to  the  other  by  railroad  ;  a 
charge  quite  disproportionate  to  the  average  value  of  goods  usually 
shipped  between  the  two  places,  and  too  heavy  to  he  borne  by  most 
of  them. 

6 £  The  best  answer  I  can  give  to  the  inquiry  as  to  the  present  and 
prospective  rates  of  transportation  over  existing  railroads,  will  be 
found  in  a  pamphlet  recently  published  by  Captain  Wm.  H.  Swift, 
formerly  in  the  United  States  service,  a  copy  of  which  will  be  sent 
with  this.  I  entirely  concur  with  him  in  opinion  that  these  rates 
must  be  materially  increased  to  make  railroads  remunerative  ;  and 
this  remark  will  apply  to  those  that  may  hereafter  be  constructed,  as 
well  as  to  those  already  in  use. 

“I  doubt  if  a  railroad  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Pacific  would 
derive  much  support  from  the  transportation  of  merchandise.  The 
advocates  for  building  this  road  profess  to  believe  that  a  large  por¬ 
tion  of  the  productions  of  India  and  China  would  ultimately  find  their 
way  to  the  Atlantic  States  b}^  this  route.  Such  is  not  my  belief.  At 
the  present  time,  first-class  ships  that  will  carry  2,000  tons  each  way 
may  be  chartered  for  a  voyage  from  New  York  or  Boston,  thence  to 
Canton  or  Calcutta  and  back  to  the  United  States,  for  $50,000  the 
voyage  round;  thus  bringing  the  rate  of  freight  to  $12  50  per  ton,  out 
or  home.  It  will  cost  nearly  or  quite  as  much  to  bring  a  ton  of  mer¬ 
chandise  from  Canton  or  Calcutta  to  San  Francisco  as  to  bring  it  to 
the  Atlantic  ;  and  the  expense  of  bringing  it  from  California  to  New 
York  by  railroad  would  be  at  least  three  times  as  much  as  the  profit 
expected  by  the  merchant  upon  the  whole  voyage,  as  now  carried  on.” 

The  foregoing  extract  throws  much  most  valuable  light  upon  seve¬ 
ral  important  points  connected  with  the  subject  under  consideration. 
The  pamphlet  of  Captain  Swift,  to  which  Mr.  Sturgis  alludes,  places 
the  actual  cost*  of  carrying  freight  on  the  New  England  roads  at 
two  cents  and  four-tenths  of  a  cent  per  ton  per  mile  ;  if  the  profits 
are  to  be  as  much  as  the  costs,  then  the  railroad  charge  for  car¬ 
rying  freight  should  be  four  cents  and  eight-tenths  of  a  cent  per 
ton  per  mile.  Mr.  Sturgis  reckoned  the  freight  at  four  cents  a  ton 
per  mile,  which  would  be  too  low ,  even  in  New  England;  far  less 
among  the  Rocky  and  Snowy  mountains,  where  the  expenses  would  be 
so  much  greater.  Instead  of  four  and  eight-tenths  of  a  cent,  call  the 
freight  Jive  cents  per  ton  per  mile.  So  as  to  distance.  Mr.  Sturgis 
makes  it  too  short ;  from  San  Francisco  to  Fort  Smith  is  2,025  miles, 
or  from  San  Francisco  to  the  southwest  line  of  Missouri,  near  Spring- 
field,  is  2,025  miles;  and  from  thereto  St.  Louis,  350  miles;  and 
thence  to  New  York,  1,150  miles :  in  all,  from  San  Francisco  to  New 
York  city  3,525  miles,  and  not  2.500  miles  as  he  estimates.  The  ex- 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


39 


treme  southern  route  would  he  still  longer.  At  five  cents  per  ton 
per  mile,  it  would  cost,  to  carry  a  ton  of  merchandise  from  San  Fran¬ 
cisco  to  New  York,  on  a  railroad,  no  less  than  $176  25  ;  at  four  cents 
per  ton  per  mile,  it  would  cost  $141  ;  at  three  cents  per  ton  per 
mile,  it  would  cost  $105  75. 

When  it  is  considered  that  merchandise  can  he  conveyed  from 
China,  or  from  the  East  Indies,  to  New  York  or  Boston  for  $12  50 
per  ton  ;  and  when  it  is  known  that  “  it  will  cost  nearly  or  quite  as 
much  to  bring  a  ton  of  merchandise  from  Canton  or  Calcutta  to  San 
Francisco  as  to  bring  it  to  the  Atlantic,”  can  any  member  of  this 
House  suppose  that  merchandise  will  be  sent  from  China  and  India 
to  California,  to  be  sent  overland  to  New  York  at  a  cost  of  $176  25 
per  ton  ? 

As  this  point  is  an  exceedingly  important  one,  and  worthy  of  the 
most  careful  consideration,  attention  is  specially  invited  to  the  follow¬ 
ing  extracts  from  an  able  letter  written  by  Messrs.  (Hidden  &  Wil¬ 
liams,  at  the  instance  of  Messrs.  James  M.  Beebe  &  Co.,  and  the 
secretary  of  the  Boston  “Board  of  Trade,”  Mr.  J.  W.  Bates.  After 
stating  that  the  cost  of  sending  ‘goods  from  New  York  via  isthmus 
of  Panama  to  San  Francisco,  by  steam  propellers,  may  be  estimated 
at  $52  per  ton,  “  and  say  for  deadweight  about  one-third  less,  or 
$35  per  ton,”  Messrs.  Glidden  &  Williams  add:  “We  would  re¬ 
mark,  however,  that  there  are  not  many  goods  that  can  afford  to  pay 
such  high  rates.  We  think  that  while  shippers  can  place  their  goods 
in  San  Francisco  from  New  York  and  Boston  at  $12  and  $14  per  ton, 
as  now,  by  first-class  clipper  ships,  there  will  not  be  enough  of  the 
finer  goods  sent  forward  to  tend  to  a  reduction  of  present  rates  to 
even  the  prices  named  above,  and  that  the  trade  will  be  carried  on 
principally  by  sailing  vessels  around  the  Horn,  the  steamers  taking 
goods  of  high  value,  and  such  as  may  be  temporarily  in  great  demand, 
continuing  to  get  high  rates  for  them.” 

It  is  thus  seen  that  sailing  vessels  are  carrying  goods  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  ports  at  a  cost  of  from  $12  to  $14  per  ton,  and 
that  “  there  are  not  many  goods  that  can  afford  to  pay  such  high 
rates  ”  as  $52  per  ton  for  being  conveyed  from  New  York  to  San 
Francisco.  How,  then,  can  the  friends  of  the  plan  of  building  three 
railroads,^ with  numerous  branches,  expect  to  obtain  freight  at  prices 
more  than  three  times  as  high  f  True,  silks,  satins,  crapes,  and  cash¬ 
meres,  a  single  half  ton  of  which  would  supply  so  many  merchants, 
and  have  a  value  so  large,  would  be  carried  by  that  conveyance  which 
is  the  quickest ;  for,  at  the  rate  of  $12,  or  even  $25  per  ton,  what 
would  be  the  cost  of  carrying  one  yard  of  silk,  or  satin,  or  lace  ?  Not 
enough  to  affect  its  cost,  of  course  ;  and  hence  the  greatest  speed  will 
be  sought  for  without  regard  to  its  cost.  .But,  as  Messrs.  Glidden  & 
Williams  say,  there  are  not  many  goods  that  can  afford  to  pay  even 
$50  per  ton  for  carriage  from  one  port  to  another.  This  fact,  taken 
in  connexion  with  the  statement  of  Mr.  Sturgis,  that  “  it  will  cost 
nearly  or  quite  as  much  to  bring  a  ton  of  merchandise  from  Canton 
or  Calcutta  to  San  Francisco  as  to  bring  it  to  the  Atlantic,”  and  that 
the  “  expense  of  bringing  it  from  California  to  New  York  by  railroad 
would  be  at  least  three  times  as  much  as  the  profit  expected  by  the 


40 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


merchant  upon  the  whole  voyage  as  now  carried  on/’  must  satisfy 
even  the  most  prejudiced  that  the  trade  of  Asia  is  not  likely  to  he 
taken  from  ships,  and  placed  in  the  cars  which  traverse  the  mountains 
of  Utah  and  the  desert  plains  of  New  Mexico  and  Nebraska. 

But  it  may  he  said  that,  although  u  freight”  cannot  be  profitably 
diverted  from  ships  to  a  mountain  road,  upon  which,  after  being  car¬ 
ried  2,000  miles,  it  would  still  he  left  50  or  75  miles  west  of  the 
western  boundaries  of  Arkansas,  Missouri,  or  Iowa,  yet  that  the 
travel  over  it  would  he  far  larger  than  the  undersigned  has  admitted  ; 
that  the  u  passengers”  traffic  would  he  large  enough  to  make  one  first 
class  military  commercial  railroad  remunerative.  Let  us  test  this  sup¬ 
position  by  comparing  it  with  known  facts. 

Of  course  travellers  would  start  from  one  or  the  other  of  the  two 
ends  of  the  railroad,  as  people  do  not  live  in  any  considerable  num¬ 
bers  in  the  deserts  and  the  mountains.  The  u  way”  business  will  he 
inconsiderable;  the  “  through”  business  will  he  almost  the  sole 
business 

The  receipts  of  the  great  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  (379  miles 
long)  were,  last  year,  $3,711,453  85  ;  of  which  no  less  than  $3,103,- 
154  85  were  derived  from  Cl  tonnage,”  and  only  $608,299  from 
“  way”  and  tc  through”  passengers  both  !  At  the  same  rate,  the  re¬ 
ceipts  for  passengers  on  the  Pacific  railroad,  2,000  miles  long,  would 
be  $3,210,000  per  year  !  This  would  not  keep  the  machinery  and  the 
road-bed  in  repair  ! 

During  the  last  year  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad,  one  of  the 
longest  and  most  important  roads  in  this  country,  conveyed  980,449 
passengers,  earning  $1,698,670  15.  Of  the  980,449  passengers,  924,- 
106  were  “  way”  passengers,  earning  $1 ,104,017  48,  and  but  56,- 
340  were  u  through”  passengers,  earning  $594,652  67. 

Of  “  way”  passengers,  who  compose  the  bulk  on  every  passenger  rail¬ 
road  of  importance  in  the  United  States ,  the  Pacific  railroad  would 
have  next  to  none  at  all ,  until  after  it  becomes  possible  for  people  to 
live  in  the  deserts  and  in  the  Rocky  mountains. 

Should  a  Pacific  railroad,  beginning  at  San  Francisco  and  termi¬ 
nating  on  the  western  borders  of  either  Arkansas,  Missouri,  or  Iowa, 
where  population  is  sparse,  and  so  continues  quite  down  to  the  Mis¬ 
sissippi  river,  300  miles  further  east — should  such  a  road,  thus  unfavor¬ 
ably  terminating  at  the  east,  have  a  u  through”  passenger  business 
as  large  as  the  Erie  road,  which  connects  the  western  States  directly 
with  New  York  and  Boston,  it  would  amount  to  but  $2,563,000  !' 
scarcely  one-fourth  of  the  money  necessary  to  keep  up  the  road  and 
machinery,  supposing  the  road  was  built  and  made  a  present  of  to 
those  who  would  undertake  to  run  it  and  keep  it  in  good  repair !  The 
entire  u  through”  passenger  business  of  the  New  York  Central,  the 
New  York  and  Erie,  the  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
railroads,  does  not  yield  money  enough  to  keep  in  repair  and  run  a 
Pacific  railroad,  although  those  four  roads  connect  15,000,000  of 
people  with  the  four  greatest  commercial  cities  upon  the  Atlantic 
coast ! 

How  can  Congress  rationally  suppose  that  theory  a  sound  one  which 
necessarily  assumes  that  the  passenger  traffic  between  500,000  men, 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


41 


women,  and  children  on  tlie  Pacific  coast,  2,000  miles  off,  and  the 
border  population  west  of  Arkansas,  or  Missouri,  or  Iowa,  will  be 
greater  than  that  carried  on  over  the  four  great  connecting  roads  be¬ 
tween  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  the  hundreds 
of  small  cities  and  manufacturing  villages  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
whole  west  on  the  other  ? 

The  Boston  merchants  have  shown,  as  before  set  forth,  that  a  rail¬ 
road  across  the  mountains  cannot  successfully  compete  in  the  freight¬ 
ing  business  with  those  shipping  men  who  have  carried  the  American 
flag  into  every  sea.  And  we  have  seen  that  if  its  through  passenger 
business,  mile  for  mile,  were  as  great  as  that  of  the  New  York  and 
Erie  railroad,  its  earnings  would  not  equal  one-fourth  of  its  annual 
expenses. 

Take,  then,  the  travel,  and  what  freight  can  be  obtained,  and  who 
cam  say  that  the  earnings  of  a  road  from  California  to  the  Mississippi 
would  he  equal  to  the  sum  of  $8,400,000  per  year?  If  a  road  cannot 
be  relied  on  to  earn  that  vast  sum,  then  its  construction  ought  not  to 
be  commenced.  At  $10,000  per  mile,  either  road  would  cost  a  little 
over  one  hundred  and  forty  millions  of  dollars  ;  the  annual  interest 
upon  which,  at  six  per  cent.,  is  $8,400,000.  Of  the  earnings  it  takes 
one-lialf  to  pay  the  expenses  of  running  the  road  and  keeping  it  in  re¬ 
pair.  To  realize  the  $8,400,000  with  which  to  pay  the  interest  upon 
the  cost,  the  road,  therefore,  would  have  to  earn  double  that  sum,  which 
is  $16,800,000  !  Now  can  any  one  show  thattlieroad  can  earn  the  first 
half  of  that  sum ,  ivithiuhich  to  run  it  and  keep  it  in  repair ,  much  less 
the  second,  $8,400,000,  with  which  to  pay  the  interest  on  first  cost? 
Can  any  one  point  out  satisfactorily  from  what  sources  even  half 
enough  earnings  ($4,200,000)  can  be  obtained  to  keep  the  road  running 
and  in  good  repair  ? 

But  instead  of  building  and  equipping  one  of  those  roads  for  the 
price  of  a  Massachusetts,  or  New  York,  or  Pennsylvania,  or  of  a  Mary¬ 
land  railroad,  the  cost  may  be  safely  calculated  to  be  more  than  twice 
as  much  ;  if  so,  the  interest  would  be  at  least  $16,800,000  per  year  ; 
and  to  pay  that  sum  would  require  gross  earnings  to  an  amount  of 
not  less  than  thirty-three  million  six  hundred  thousand  dollars  per 
annum,  forever  ! 

Not  onlv  so.  The  committee  recommend  the  House  to  construct 

%j 

three  such  roads ,  the  shortest  of  which  to  be  not  less  than  2,032  miles 
long,  and  ending  with  seven  roads  east  of  the  mountains  and  three 
west  of  it !  To  properly  support  that  hydra-headed  road  alone,  the 
united  support  of  the  entire  industrial  interests  of  the  whole  British 
empire  would  prove  utterly  inadequate  ! 

The  southern  road  has  proportions  equally  gigantic  and  pretentious, 
whilst  the  hyperborean  route,  looking  into  Puget's  sound  from  the 
head  of  Lake  Superior,  is  dwarfed  into  the  modest  length  of  2,025 
miles  !  Had  the  route  from  Kansas,  in  Missouri,  across  the  Arkan¬ 
sas,  along  the  Huerfano,  up  the  acclivities  of  Mr.  Fremont’s  El  San- 
gre  de  Christo  pass,  through  the  Sierra  Blanca,  into  the  long  ascend¬ 
ing  valley  leading  up  to  the  grand  and  majestic  heights  of  Colonel 
Benton’s  far-famed  Coo-cha-to-pe  pass  in  the  Rocky  mountains ;  thence 
down  its  violent  western  declivities  through  narrow  gorges,  dangerous 


42 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


defiles,  and  deep  and  crooked  canons,  into  the  swift  and  bounding 
waters  of  Grand  river  ;  thence  scale  the  steep  sides  of  the  Wah-Satch 
agglomeration  of  mountains,  and  descend  from  their  giddy  heights  to 
Colonel  Benton’s  beautiful  spring  O-jo  San  Jose  ;  thence  descend  to 
the  Santa  Clara  meadows,  which  are  hut  one  mile  high  above  the  level 
of  the  sea  ;  thence  onward  through  the  picturesque  country  which 
Colonel  Fremont  aptly  describes  as  a  country  “  bristling  with  moun¬ 
tains  ;”  and  thence  to  the  Sandy  desert,  along  the  “  river  of  sand,” 
through  Walker’s  pass  of  the  Snowy  mountains,  down  said  mountains 
to  the  San  Joachim,  and  thence  along  the  same  to  San  Francisco  ; 
had  this  route,  only  some  2,080  miles  long,  been  added  to  the  hill 
reported  by  the  majority,  the  completeness  of  the  scheme  would  have 
rendered  the  labor  of  preparing  this  report  entirely  superfluous.  The 
hill  would  have  been  self-expository  and  self-condemnatory  ;  as  it  is, 
however,  even  without  that  most  extraordinary  of  all  routes  ever  seri¬ 
ously  proposed  for  a  railroad  by  men  “with  beards  on  their  faces,” 
examination  must  show  the  scheme  of  the  committee  to  be,  if  not  a 
financial  absurdity ,  at  least  one  of  extremely  questionable  merits. 

If  one  railroad  is  built  across  those  vast  desert  plains  and  moun¬ 
tains,  it  will,  in  all  probability,  require  to  keep  it  in  running  order, 
and  to  pay  only  simple  interest  upon  its  first  cost,  annual  earnings  to 
an  amount  not  less  than  $33,600,000  !  If  two  such  railroads  shall  bo 
built,  annual  earnings  to  the  amount  of  $67,200,000  will  be  required; 
if  three  roads,  then  $100,800,000!  A  sum  of  money  greater,  proba¬ 
bly,  than  is  yearly  earned  by  all  the  shipping  of  all  the  oceans  of  the 
world  ! 

In  other  words,  a  railroad  is  too  costly  a  thing  to  be  employed  every¬ 
where e,  for  every  purpose;  because  it  is  a  great  and  self-sustaining  com¬ 
mercial  convenience  in  a  densely  populated  country  of  divers  indus¬ 
trial  pursuits,  it  by  no  means  is  to  be  inferred  that  goods  sense  calls 
for  its  introduction  into  Iceland,  Africa,  or  Patagonia.  Nor  is  the 
success  of  railroads  in  Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania,  and  Georgia,  to 
be  taken  and  held  as  proof  that  it  is  well  to  attempt  to  construct  one 
2,000  miles  long  over  numerous  ranges  of  lofty  and  uninhabited  moun¬ 
tains,  merely  to  transact  the  business  of  half  a  million  of  people  in 
California  ;  especially  when  that  people  front  more  than  1,500  miles 
upon  the  most  tranquil  ocean  upon  the  globe. 

The  undersigned,  for  the  foregoing  and  many  other  reasons  which 
time  does  not  allow  to  be  adequately  set  forth  upon  this  occasion,  is 
of  the  opinion  that,  considered  in  reference  to  its  ability  to  maintain 
itself  from  its  own  earnings,  a  railroad  from  the  Mississippi  river  to 
the  Pacific  ocean  is  not  feasible  upon  any  route  yet  explored  and  re¬ 
ported  upon  to  Congress.  If  not  one,  of  course  not  several. 

Third.  But  supposing  the  road  were  feasible ,  considered  in  a  money 
point  of  view,  is  it  politic  (if  it  has  the  legal  power)  for  the  general 
government  to  forestall  individual  enterprise,  and  proceed  to  construct 
a  railroad  for  the  accommodation  of  trade  and  travel  ?  Clearly  not. 
The  nations  of  Europe,  as  nations,  build  canals,  turnpikes,  colleges, 
churches,  &c.  The  policy  of  the  United  States,  on  the  other  hand, 
has  hitherto  been  to  leave  these  things  to  be  done  by  the  several 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


43 


States,  and  "by  the  people.  Of  the  upwards  of  24,000  miles  of  rail¬ 
road  now  in  actual  operation  in  the  United  States,  not  a  mile  has  been 
built  by  the  United  States  government.  And  yet  the  expansion  of 
the  railroad  system,  without  being  stimulated  by  national  competi¬ 
tion  into  greater  activity,  has  been  quite  as  rapid  as  the  welfare  of 
other  material  interests  would  justify — quite.  What  interest  has 
represented  to  Congress  that  too  small  an  amount  of  capital  has  been 
invested  in  railroads  and  canals,  and  requesting  such  legislation  as 
will  cause  capital  to  be  more  rapidly  invested  in  new  railroads?  True, 
Congress  has  occasionally,  and,  at  the  present  session,  frequently , 
aided  the  construction  of  railroads  through  government  lands ,  taking 
care  to  double  the  price  of  the  alternate  reserved  sections.  But  this 
system  is  of  recent  date,  and  by  no  means  meets  with  universal  approval; 
the  solidity  of  the  objections  urged  against  it  is  already  becoming  so 
manifest  to  all,  that  it  is  exceedingly  doubtful  whether  it  will  be  main¬ 
tained  beyond  the  existence  of  the  present  Congress.  The  small  stimu¬ 
lus  afforded  to  the  business  of  railroad  building  by  this  aid  given  by 
Congress  to  roads  built  or  building  through  its  unsettled  lands,  is  not 
believed  to  have  had,  so  far,  a  very  material  influence  upon  the  gene¬ 
ral  movements  of  the  capitalists  of  the  country ;  except  so  far  as  re¬ 
lates  to  Illinois,  Missouri,  and  Alabama,  its  influence  upon  railroad 
building  has,  probably,  had  no  perceptible  influence. 

Shall  Congress  go  a  step  further  ?  Shall  it  step  forward,  and,  by 
the  use  of  its  lands,  or  of  its  money,  build  one,  two,  or  three  conti¬ 
nental  railways,  each  of  them  not  less  than  2,000  miles  long,  and  each  of 
them  costing  not  less  than  double  the  cost  of  roads  in  the  settled  por¬ 
tions  of  the  country — say  $140,000  per  mile,  which  is  $280,000,000 
for  2,000  miles  of  road? 

At  the  time  this  country  shook  off  the  dominion  of  G-reat  Britain, 
wealth  was  very  equally  divided.  Rarely  could  an  individual  be  found 
whose  property  was  worth  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Paupers 
were  almost  unknown.  The  country  had  but  little  wealth,  and  but 
little  pauperism.  In  1800,  the  country  was  still  poor,  and  the  govern¬ 
ment  was  in  debt.  Individuals  lacked  the  capital  necessary  to  open 
mines,  dig  canals,  construct  roads,  or  to  clear  out  rivers  and  harbors; 
and,  hence,  the  development  of  these  sources,  and  of  these  means 
with  which  to  acquire  wealth,  was  necessarily  slow,  as  compared  with 
the  rapid  developments  of  the  present.  To  quicken  movements, 
States  commenced  digging  canals  by  making  use  of  their  several 
credits  ;  associated  companies  built  turnpikes,  and  founded  banks 
with  small  capitals  and  large  issues  ;  cities  built  wharves  and  im¬ 
proved  harbors  by  using  their  municipal  credit  ;  and,  in  obedience  to 
the  popular  impulse,  the  general  government  itself  used  its  credit  to 
found  a  bank,  with  the  notes  of  which  to  swell  the  amount  of  the  cur¬ 
rency. 

The  results  were  productive  of  great  good  and  of  much  evil.  An 
immense  interior  canal  navigation,  without  a  rival  in  the  world,  was 
created  ;  many  thousands  of  miles  of  turnpike-roads  were  built  ;  mines 
were  opened,  factories  built,  ships  and  steamboats  launched,  and  for¬ 
tunes  created  with  a  rapidity  never  before  witnessed.  The  railroad 
system  followed  with  like  rapidity,  distancing  all  the  world  beside. 


44 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


On  the  first  day  of  January,  1856,  the  railroads  of  the  United  States 
numbered  more  miles  of  road  in  actual  operation  than  those  of  all 
other  nations  added  together. 

But  experience  taught  that  managing  hanks  and  building  national 
roads  was  a  business  for  which  the  general  government  was  peculiarly 
unfitted.  The  experience  of  the  several  States  teaches  the  same  lesson ; 
in  proof  of  which,  it  is  only  necessary  to  point  to  the  financial  diffi¬ 
culties  occasioned  by  attempting  to  execute  works  of  internal  improve¬ 
ment.  Look,  for  example,  at  the  experience  of  Pennsylvania,  Mary¬ 
land,  Ohio,  Michigan,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Mississippi.  Even  New 
York,  with  its  supposed  success  in  its  schemes,  was  compelled  to  resort 
to  direct  taxation  to  restore  its  severely  wounded  credit. 

Most  of  the  railroads  and  turnpikes,  most  of  the  academies,  colleges, 
and  universities,  all  of  the  churches,  and  most  of  the  libraries,  all  of 
the  ships,  steamboats,  shops,  founderies  and  factories,  and  the  open¬ 
ing  up  of  farms,  plantations,  and  mines,  may  be  pronounced  the  re¬ 
sults  of  individual,  and  not  of  government  enterprise. 

There  is  between  the  condition  of  things  existing  in  1800  and  in 
1856  very  little  similitude.  Then ,  capital  was  scarce  ;  the  mines  uno¬ 
pened;  manufactures  unestablished ;  steamboats,  railroads,  telegraphs, 
and  the  cotton-gin  uninvented ;  and  even  country  turnpikes,  as  well  as 
canals,  remaining  unbuilt.  Now,  no  nation  has  a  larger  capital,  or 
a  greater  volume  of  a  hand-to-hand  currency,  composed  of  coin  and 
bank  paper,  or  more  valuable  opened  mines,  or  more  extensive  man¬ 
ufactures,  or  larger  agricultural  products,  nor  so  many  ships,  steam¬ 
boats,  miles  of  canal,  railroad,  plank  road,  turnpike-road,  or  of  tele¬ 
graph  lines,  as  the  United  States.  Wherever  it  can  be  shown  that 
by  building  a  new  railroad,  a  new  foundry,  a  new  factory,  or  a  new 
ship,  a  handsome  profit  can  be  made,  there  will  capitalists  speedily 
make  their  appearance.  So  it  is  in  mining,  so  in  farming,  and 
planting. 

When  the  country  was  truly  poor,  there  was  some  excuse  for  desir¬ 
ing  government  to  come  to  the  aid  of  individuals  seeking  to  build 
roads  to  their  mines,  to  their  shops,  or  to  their  farms.  But  now, 
when  the  country  is  rich,  and  when  capital  is  seeking  investment  in 
any  and  all  enterprises  that  are  both  safe  and  profitable,  it  is  at  war 
with  sound  policy  for  those  charged  with  the  administration  of  the 
government  to  seek,  or  to  allow  themselves  to  be  persuaded,  to  enlarge 
its  patronage  and  increase  its  cumbrousness  by  entering  upon  the 
business  of  railroad  building.  For  if  government  once  enters  upon 
the  business,  though  only  in  the  humble  capacity  of  assistant ,  the 
speculators  and  agents  who  may  be  interested  will  soon  contrive  to 
convert  it  into  the  'principal . 

If  the  contemplated  railroads  will  be  as  profitable  as  claimed,  then 
their  construction  ought  to  be  left  to  those  gentlemen  whose  regular 
business  it  is.  They  ought  not  to  be  deprived  of  it.  Government 
ought  not  to  interfere  with  the  business  of  its  citizens  ;  it  ought  not 
to  compete  with  them  in  the  transportation  of  trade  and  travel  upon 
the  land  any  more  than  upon  water.  If  Congress  builds  a  line  of  road 
as  a  matter  of  accommodation ,  and  not  for  competition ,  then  it  should 
do  the  same  thing  wherever  desired.  To  do  less,  is  partiality.  And 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


45 


an  honest  government  is  necessarily  impartial  ;  it  ceases  to  be  honest 
the  moment  it  loses  its  impartiality. 

As  capital  is  abundant  and  enterprise  superabundant,  individuals 
will  build  the  roads  west  from  the  Mississippi,  as  they  have  from  the 
east  to  the  Mississippi,  if  those  roads  may  he  fairly  considered  paying 
roads;  and  as  the  majority  of  the  committee  are  of  opinion  that  they 
will  be,  it  is  respectfully  submitted  whether  sound  policy  does  not  re¬ 
quire  Congress  to  leave  the  work,  and  the  profits  thereof,  to  those 
enterprising  persons  who  so  commendably  seek  to  enjoy  it  ! 

If,  however,  the  work  will  not  pay,  but  will  entail  ever- continuing 
expense,  why  should  Congress  build  a  road  that  prudent  capitalists 
will  not  touch  ?  Why  should  government  he  less  wise  and  less  pru¬ 
dent  than  individuals — especially  as  it  would  cost  government  far  more 
to  build,  and  far  more  to  maintain,  a  railroad  than  it  would  experienced 
and  prudent  individuals  ?  Where  prudent  and  experienced  men  hesi¬ 
tate,  the  government  may  well  pause  before  committing  itself  to  an 
expenditure  of  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars. 

And,  besides,  it  is  considered  entirely  inexpedient  and  impolitic  to 
enter  upon  the  business  of  constructing  railroads  for  the  accommoda¬ 
tion  of  trade  and  travel.  If  this  policy  is  entered  upon,  why  shall 
not  the  United  States  next  proceed  to  build  a  direct  road  from  Wash¬ 
ington  to  New  York,  and  thence  to  Portland  ?  Why  shall  it  not  seek 
to  avoid  the  errors  of  location  committed  by  the  New  York  Central 
railroad,  and  build  a  road  from  New  York  to  Buffalo  on  a  more  direct 
and  shorter  line?  Why  not  build  a  road  from  New  York  to  Erie,  in 
Pennsylvania,  on  a  line  that  will  more  perfectly  accommodate  trade 
and  travel  than  does  the  New  York  and  Erie  railroad?  If  the  gov¬ 
ernment  is  induced  to  enter  upon  a  competition  with  capitalists  to 
supply  railroad  accommodations,  ichen  and  where  is  it  to  stop  ?  If  a 
crevasse  is  once  opened,  who  can  foretell  the  extent  of  the  ravages  of 
the  flood?  Who  can  say  where  the  new  channel  will  run  ?  What 
interest  would  be  safe  from  congressional  incursion  when  all  barriers 
hut  discretion  are  removed  ?  When  lobby  agents  for  competing  rail¬ 
roads  shall  be  as  numerous  as  steamship  agents,  what  railroad  stock¬ 
holder  shall  be  able  to  say  his  road  will  not  next  be  subjected  to  gov¬ 
ernment  competition  f  And  when  five  or  ten  years  hence  the  Territories 
shall  be  States,  who  can  predict  that  the  subject  of  government’s  duty 
to  furnish  the  people  railroads  to  put  down  u corporate  monopolies” 
will  not  succeed  the  present  Territorial  agitations  ? 

The  undersigned  is  immovably  opposed  to  the  recognition  of  the 
doctrine  that  it  is  the  duty  of  Congress  to  build  railroads  for  the  ac¬ 
commodation  of  trade  and  travel.  The  object  of  government  is  to 
protect  the  property  and  business  of  its  citizens,  and  not  to  lessen  or 
to  injure  the  one  or  the  other  by  entering  into  competition  with  them, 
backed  by  its  enormous  treasury  and  credit. 

But  we  pass  from  this  important  point  to  a  consideration  of  another 
plausibility,  which  has  been  much  relied  on  by  many  latitudinarian 
expounders  of  the  power  and  objects  of  the  general  government. 

Fourth.  If  it  is  impolitic  and  unseemly  for  the  government  to  en¬ 
gage  in  a  competition  with  its  own  citizens,  can  it  not,  with  propriety, 


46 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


construct  either  a  military  or  a  postal  railroad  for  the  use  both  of  the 
United  States  and  of  traders  and  travellers  ?  No  ;  for  if  govern¬ 
ment  builds  a  military  railroad,  it  could  not  legally  be  wrested  from 
the  object  of  its  construction,  and  converted  into  a  commercial  road. 
As  well  might  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  rent  an  office  in  New  York 
or  Boston,  order  the  United  States  ships-of-war  into  the  harbor,  and 
commence  a  freighting  business  between  the  United  States  and  Eng¬ 
land,  in  competition  with  the  shipping  merchants  !  As  well  might 
the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  army  be  hired  out  to  farmers,  or  set  to 
work  in  factories  !  As  well  might  forts  and  arsenals  be  converted 
into  flour  mills,  or  blacksmith’s  shops,  or  town  halls,  for  the  conve¬ 
nience  and  pleasure  of  the  people  living  near  them  !  Gfovernment 
was  instituted  for  the  protection  of  its  citizens  against  foreign  inva¬ 
sion  and  domestic-  insurrection,  and  not  to  enter  into  the  freighting 
business,  or  into  railroad  building,  for  the  benefit  of  the  trading  and 
travelling  classes. 

It  can  lawfully  build  a  fort  ;  but,  under  the  pretence  of  its  being  a 
fort,  it  cannot  build  a  flour-mill.  So  also  can  it  build  a  military  road, 
if  absolutely  necessary  for  military  'purposes  ;  but,  under  the  pretence 
of  building  a  military  road,  it  cannot  proceed  to  build  a  commercial 
road,  open  ticket  offices,  build  stores,  depots,  and  sheds,  and  com¬ 
mence  a  freighting  business  in  competition  with  its  citizens.  Such 
power  was  never  given,  for  the  reason,  among  others,  that  whatever 
lousiness  government  entered  upon,  having  power  to  protect  itself,  it 
would  crush  out  all  competition.  And,  besides,  the  powers  granted 
by  the  constitution  are  expressed  in  clear  and  direct  terms.  The 
whole  spirit  of  the  instrument  is  at  war  with  evasions.  That  spirit, 
at  times  like  the  present,  ought  to  be  respected. 

As  to  the  building  of  postal  roads,  nothing  need  be  said  about  the 
danger  of  their  perversion  to  other  purposes,  for  no  authority  appears 
to  have  been  given  Congress  to  build  one. 

But  aside  from  the  impropriety  of  perverting  a  military  road  to 
uses  other  than  those  for  which  it  was,  at  least,  ostensibly  built,  there 
are  other  reasons  why  a  commercial  road,  under  the  pretence  of  its 
being  a  military  one,  should  not  be  built  by  the  United  States. 

In  1812,  the  cost  of  transporting  troops,  munitions  of  war,  &c., 
through  the  interior  of  New  York,  Ohio,  and  Michigan,  to  the  Canada 
frontier,  was  truly  enormous.  The  extra  cost  of  transportation  would 
have  built  good  military  roads  ;  but  war  not  having  been  anticipated, 
they  were  not  built,  and  the  cost  of  transportation  had  to  be  encoun¬ 
tered. 

After  the  war  was  closed,  burdened  with  debt,  distressed  by  a 
disordered  currency,  and  unwilling  to  foster  a  military  spirit  at  the 
expense  of  the  arts  of  peace,  the  wise  men  at  the  head  of  our  govern¬ 
ment  resolved  to  pretermit  the  subject  of  building  expensive  military 
roads  and  fortifications,  not  doubting  but  that  with  the  growth  of  the 
country  good  roads  would  keep  pace.  It  was  deemed  best  to  depend 
in  time  of  war  upon  the  roads  which  the  people  used  in  time  of  peace, 
instead  of  rolling  up  an  onerous  public  debt. 

The  wisdom  of  this  policy  has  been  nobly  vindicated  by  results. 
From  Maine  to  Wisconsin,  along  the  whole  Canadian  frontier, 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


47 


good  country  roads  leading  thereto  everywhere  exist.  In  addition, 
fine  canals  have  been  dug  and  lined  with  thousands  of  canal-boats, 
and  extensive  railroads,  in  most  advantageous  directions,  have  been 
built  and  efficiently  equipped  with  suitable  rolling  stock.  Railroads 
have  also  been  built,  or  are  now  building,  not  only  along  the  whole 
Atlantic  and  Gulf  frontiers,  hut  railroads  connecting  with  these  at 
innumerable  points,  from  the  remotest  interior  States,  have  also  been 
built,  have  been  well  stocked,  and  are  well  managed.  All  these  have 
been  built  by  States  and  by  individuals,  without  taxing  the  federal 
treasury.  These  canals  and  railroads  are  well  and  profitably  man¬ 
aged  ;  they  serve  in  time  of  peace  as  distributors  of  .the  goods  from 
which  the  government  derives  its  income,  and  in  war  will  prove  the 
most  efficient  instruments  of  defence  known  among  military  men. 
A  greater  number  of  men  can  be  conveyed  by  them  in  twenty-four 
hours  to  any  considerable  city  between  New  Orleans  and  Portland, 
than  any  fleet  of  any  one  nation  can  land  at  one  time  at  the  one  point ; 
so  that,  at  the  moment  of  landing,  an  invading  foe  ivould  stand  in  the 
'presence  of  a  superior  force. 

Had  the  government  involved  the  nation  in  a  debt  of  $800,000,000, 
a  better  system  of  military  roads  could  not  have  been  put  in  operation. 

Why,  then,  should  the  government  of  a  people  so  enterprising  and 
so  energetic  change  its  policy,  and,  at  this  late  day,  distrusting  the 
future,  commence  the  construction  of  military  railroads? 

Looked  at  from  another  point,  reasons  against  entering  upon  a 
,  new  line  of  policy  present  themselves.  Hitherto  it  has  been  an  ob¬ 
ject  with  the  wisest  of  our  statesmen  not  to  unnecessarily  enlarge 
the  operations  or  the  patronage  of  the  general  government,  but 
rather  to  keep  both  within  as  narrow  limits  as  duty  and  usefulness 
will  permit. 

Placing  out  of  view  the  fact  that  a  commercial  railroad,  in  every 
day  use ,  will  be  kept  in  a  higher  state  of  efficiency  and  at  far  more 
economical  rates  than  a  military  one,  and  is,  therefore,  better  fitted 
for  military  emergencies  than  would  be  an  exclusive  and  but  seldom 
used  military  railroad ;  putting  all  this  out  of  view,  the  enormous 
amount  of  patronage  (of  a  character  that  could  be  but  indifferently 
well  controlled)  which  would  be  devolved  upon  the  general  govern¬ 
ment,  is  a  most  serious  objection  to  constructing  a  military  railroad 
across  the  mountains  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  To  be  able  to  appreciate 
this,  at  least  to  some  feeble  extent,  it  may  be  well  to  examine  the 
patronage,  in  part,  (for  time  will  not  allow  of  a  full  examination,) 
which  a  military  railroad  2,000  miles  long  would  confer  on  the  execu¬ 
tive  department  of  the  government. 

To  do  the  business  on  the  great  road  from  Boston  to  Albany,  200 
miles,  requires  the  labor  of  1,961  men.  At  the  same  rate,  a  Pacific 
railroad,  2,000  miles  long,  would  require  19,610  men  ! 

The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad,  which  is  379  miles  long,  em¬ 
ployed,  last  year,  4,259  men.  At  the  same  rate,  the  Pacific  railroad 
would  employ  22,472  ! 

The  Hudson  River  railroad,  which  is  144  miles  long,  and  very  level, 
employs  1,238  men.  At  the  same  rate,  the  Pacific  railroad  would 
employ  17,193  men. 


48 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


In  other  words,  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad  employs  11  men 
per  mile ;  the  Hudson  Kiver  road,  8  men  per  mile ;  the  Boston  and 
Worcester  road,  8  men  per  mile;  the  Western  railroad,  (from  Wor¬ 
cester  to  Albany,)  9  men  per  mile.  On  8,116  miles  of  English  rail¬ 
roads,  12J  men  are  employed  per  mile;  on  the  Hew  York  Central 
road,  10  men  per  mile;  and  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  16J  men 
per  mile  are  employed.  At  the  rate  employed  on  the  English  rail¬ 
roads,  the  Pacific  railroad,  if  just  2,000  miles  long,  would  employ  ex¬ 
actly  25,000  men!  At  the  rate  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  33,000 
men!  The  three  Pacific  roads,  99,000  men  ! 

And  can  we  reasonably  suppose  that  a  road  through  such  a  region 
of  difficulties  and  dangers  would  require  less  labor  than  the  before- 
named  roads?  By  oue  single  enactment — establishing  one  military 
railroad — the  patronage  of  the  government  would  he  increased  from 
25,000  to  35,000  men!  If  the  creation  of  one  or  two  places  justly 
causes  reflection  and  debate,  how  should  a  measure  creating  35,000, 
or  rather  100,000  places,  he  received?  That  this  is  not  all ,  will  be 
shown  next. 

To  exhibit,  in  part ,  the  value  of  the  patronage  which  a  military 
railroad,  doing  commercial  business,  would  bestow,  the  following 
table  has  been  prepared.  The  table  will  show  certain  expenses  neces¬ 
sarily  encountered  by  certain  companies  : 


New  York 
Central. 

New  York 
and  Erie. 

Pennsylv’a 
R.  R.  Co. 

Baltimore  & 
Ohio. 

Boston  and 
Worcester. 

Total. 

Number  of  miles  of  road  of 

main  road . 

298 

460 

248 

379 

44 

1,430 

Number  of  locomotive  en- 

gines . 

188 

203 

115 

208 

29 

743 

Number  of  passenger  cars  .... 

2,425 

125 

94 

73 

107 

*399 

(all  kinds.) 

Number  of  baggage  cars . 

43 

24 

14 

18 

*99 

Number  oi  freight  cars . 

2,770 

1,485 

3, 338 

746 

*8,339 

Number  of  cars . 

2,425 

2,938 

1,603 

3,425 

781 

11,172 

Cost  of  fuel,  per  year,  for  en- 

gines . 

$ 589, 830  61 

$481,270  91 

$138,202  43 

.$726,204  96 

$151,475  98 

$2,086,984  89 

Yearly  cost  of  oil,  tallow,  &c, 

for  engines  and  cars . 

126,007  15 

98,808  38 

31,431  50 

66,443  45 

10,341  33 

333,031  81 

Cost  of  waste,  &c.,  for  clean- 

ing . 

4,244  24 

9,798  61 

986  06 

15  028  91 

Loss  and  damage  of  goods 

and  baggage  . 

35,083  84 

21,631  40 

f56, 715  24 

Repairs  of  fences  and  gates.. . 

8,340  56 

9, 132  50 

fl7, 479  06 

Damages  for  injuries  to  per- 

sons . 

43,839  43 

3  015  00 

1  670  70 

10  556  54 

*59.081  67 

Damages  to  property,  inclu- 

ding  damages  by  fire,  and 

cattle  killed  on  the  railroad. 

12,280  94 

96,813  96 

30,734  34 

1 139, 829  24 

Repairs  of  roadbed  and  rail- 

way . 

657,290  20 

530,400  88 

181,717  01 

476,547  58 

104,737  24 

1,940,692  91 

For  taxes  and  insurance . 

111,529  47 

54,583  05 

141,213  35 

9,857  01 

317,182  88 

For  repairs  of  station  build- 

ings,  fixtures, and  furniture. 

56,325  71 

25,031  05 

49,000  00 

19,398  05 

f 149, 754  81 

Amount  of  materials  kept  on 

hand . 

664,374  06 

504,655  06 

252,506  11 

293, 733  63 

203,396  18 

1,918,665  04 

Cost  of  repairs  of  machinery. 

778,360  79 

386,894  90 

620,578  04 

503,884  68 

96,673  33 

2,386,391  74 

*  For  four  roads.  f  For  two  roads.  |  For  three  roads. 


The  above  table  takes  no  notice  of  the  salaries  of  the  officers  and 
pay  of  the  men;  and  yet  the  five  items — cost  of  fuel,  cost  of  oil  for 
wheels  and  waste  for  cleaning,  &c.,  cost  of  insurance  and  taxes,  cost 
of  keeping  the  machinery  in  repair,  and  keeping  the  road-bed  and  rail- 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH.  49 

way  in  repair— for  those  five  railroads,  having  a  total  length  of  1,430 
miles,  amount,  per  year,  to  no  less  than  $7,079,313  14  I 

If,  after  leaving  out  the  entire  cost  of  management,  the  mere  fuel,  oil, 
repairing  the  road,  repairing  the  machinery,  and  paying  insurance 
and  taxes,  alone  cost,  annually,  over  seven  millions  of  dollars  to  keep 
up  fourteen  hundred  and  thirty  miles  of  road  located  in  the  best  part 
of  the  United  States,  what  vrould  it  cost  to  support  more  than  2,000 
miles  of  railroad  amid  deserts  and  mountains?  If  it  requires  743 
locomotive  engines  on  1,430  miles  of  railroad  in  the  Atlantic  States, 
and  $1,918,665  04  worth  of  materials  kept  constantly  on  hand,  in 
readiness  for  repairs  of  machinery  and  road-way,  how  many  engines, 
and  what  amount  of  materials,  would  he  required  on  a  road  running 
over  mountains  upwards  of  3,000  feet  high,  for  a  distance  of  1,432 
miles,  as  does  the  South  Pass  route?  An  examination  of  the  letters 
appended  hereto  will  show  the  lessened  power  of  engines  when  re¬ 
quired  to  move  a  train  up  a  steep  grade,  or  against  sharp  curves. 
High  grades  and  sharp  curves  are  the  attendant  evils  of  mountain 
routes,  and  not  only  call  for  a  largety  increased  number  of  engines, 
requiring  more  men,  fuel,  oil,  repairs,  &c.,  but  also  more  speedily  use 
up  both  the  machinery  and  the  road- way.  Even  on  the  New  England 
railroads,  Mr.  Appleton  says,  the  rails  last  but  five  or  ten  years,  and 
locomotives  last  but  some  ten  to  fifteen  years.  So,  also,  in  regard  to 
cars.  On  the  five  roads,  no  less  than  11,172  cars  are  in  use.  What, 
then,  must  be  the  number  which  would  be  required  on  a  continental 
railway,  equipped  to  do  a  continental  business  corresponding  with  the 
mammoth  capital  invested  ? 

These  few  items  will  give  a  faint  idea  of  the  immense  patronage  that 
the  building  and  management  of  a  railroad  constructed  nominally  for 
military,  but  used  for  commercial  purposes,  would  confer  upon  the 
government.  It  would  create  a  debt  of  mountain  magnitude;  and 
yet  it  would  not  in  all  probability  earn  enough  to  repair  its  machinery 
and  road-way,  and  pay  for  the  fuel  to  drive  and  the  oil  to  lubricate  the 
wheels  of  its  cars,  even  if  its  thirty-odd  thousand  employees  would 
perform  the  necessary  labor  gratis. 

Why,  then,  should  this  government,  even  if  it  has  the  constitutional 
authority  to  do  so,  attempt  to  build  a  railroad  so  expensive  and  wholly 
unproductive — especially  as  the  enterprise  of  the  American  people 
has  furnished  to  the  government,  without  charge,  the  best  of  railways 
for  military,  postal,  and  commercial  purposes  ;  and  that,  too,  without 
imposing  upon  the  nation  the  necessity  of  a  patronage  at  once  wide¬ 
spread,  measurably  irresponsible,  and  of  most  demoralizing  political 
tendencies  ? 

Fifth.  Has  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  constitutional  author¬ 
ity  conferred  upon  it  authorizing  it  to  provide  for  building  either  rail¬ 
roads  or  canals  for  the  uses  and  conveniences  of  the  people? 

It  has  not.  Wise  men  like  Mr.  Jefferson,  Mr.  Madison,  Mr.  Macon, 
Mr.  Polk,  Judge  Woodbury,  and  many  others  of  high  authority  upon 
questions  of  constitutional  law,  believed  that  the  constitution  conferred 
no  such  authority  upon  Congress.  Referring,  for  the  reasons  upon  which 
he  bases  his  opinion,  to  the  numerous  able  expositions  of  this  subject, 
H.  Rep.  274—4 


50 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


(without  presuming  to  attempt  to  add  new  ideas  upon  them,)  the  un¬ 
dersigned  satisfies  himself  with  an  expression  of  the  opinion  that  Con¬ 
gress  has  no  authority,  express  or  implied,  to  build  a  railroad  either 
in  the  States  or  in  the  Territories.  But  for  the  great  length  to  which 
this  report  has  already  been  extended,  a  summary  of  the  opinions  of 
great  constitutional  expounders  upon  this  point  would  have  been  added 
hereto.  It  is,  perhaps,  scarcely  necessary. 

Occasion  is  taken  to  express,  in  terms  of  thankfulness,  the  many 
favors  received  from  leading  railroad  and  shipping  men  in  different 
parts  of  the  United  States.  In  nearly  every  case  where  information 
has  been  sought,  it  has  been  cheerfully  and  promptly  afforded,  though 
sometimes  occasioning  much  trouble  and  loss  of  valuable  time.  Few 
valuable  avenues  of  information  have  been  left  neglected,  nor  has  any 
been  closed  ;  want  of  skill  and  experience  has  alone  prevented  a  more 
perfect  use  of  the  valuable  materials  placed  at  the  disposition  of  the 
undersigned  :  if  any  errors  of  fact,  or  of  inference,  have  escaped  him, 
it  is  justly  attributable  to  the  same  cause.  However  imperfect  the 
result  may  be  found,  the  aim  has  been  to  reach  just  and  reliable  con¬ 
clusions. 

In  conclusion,  the  undersigned  believes  that  Congress  ought  not  to 
attempt  to  build,  in  whole  or  in  part,  alone  or  in  partnership,  as  a 
principal  or  as  an  aider,  with  money  or  with  land,  one  or  more  rail¬ 
roads  from  the  Mississippi  river  to  San  Francisco,  on  the  Pacific 
ocean. 

All  of  which  is  most  respectfully  submitted. 


Z.  KIDWELL. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


51 


o 

& 


rt 

O 


72 

*3 ' 


rs  a 
g  o 
*1GQ 


•  o 
l^n 

•  •, 

C3  41  rt 
=3  >*S 
d 
o 


Si 

rt 


73 


rt  __ 
Q«  O  cj 
^■2> 
©S' 

■s* '-' 


do 
y  o 

•a  5 

PQ.2 
o  > 

■*->  r 

^  73 


S3  ^  o  C3 


C3  c2  r= 
u> 
rt 

;  a 


rt  CLjCh 
,d  .  . 

t!  +j  c 
rjanoG  cs 

oSSS 

a  O  O  -H 

«->  fe,  fe.  •?< 

fe.fci&<  fe¬ 
es  3 

cd  a> 

S5  & 


C3 

J2  - 
« 


rt  -a  _  ju 
•“  oa  •»-< 

«  » 
G  rj 
gts 
I  °  c 

I  O  g 


C  1 
y  « 
»:  JS 

■’— <  rj 

1  £g 

03  rt 
o  h  O 
72  Ss,  rt 

$2*12  -S 

rt  S  > 
rt  %> 

m  *± 

I2= 
« si 

■o  tt  ? 

eu  C  — 

2  S*® 

~  «J  5*1 

c 
rt 

G  CG 

rt  odo 

3  *-  35 

aa  fe- 

O  3 
**  v 

s  fc 


o 

y 

M 

C3 

c 

a 

•— 

S3 

rt 

GQ 

O 


o 

o 

OP 

*3 

d 

rt 

I  £ 

73  r- 

«  s 

in  02 

£  o 


s  r  I  -  ,  H 


o 

o 

73 

*3 

S3 

a 


c 

rt 

CQ 


Ss-sgs 

O  SO 

m  »-  n 
S&.  >- 
Pi  y 


—  o  ~ 

y  ad 

IBs 

e  S6 

C  iO 
rt  r^rt 
0«£h  a- 
O  rt 
a> 


Sd  § 
®  73* 

■t  i  a-  n 

£g* 

E  73  S 

OCJ  o 

£"£ 
rt 
CD 


f • 

•?K3UI 

-<Imt)9  pU-B  UOtiOTUJS 

-nos  jo  jsoo  paiBunjsg 

0  © 

§8 
r>  n 

£ab 

00 

r  r 

°  2 
rt 

H  r— 1 

116,095,000 

94,720,000 

87,990,000 

d’d 

y  O 

•bpba 
-3M  BJJ9tg  JO 
jtuimnsjo  jsg^w 

O  O 

pH 

CO 

rH  i'— 

00  tH 

O 

♦->  ^  . 

C3  C3 

8^2 

g  rt 
c  c  0) 

•BPBA9^  BJI9Ig 

pun  93ubi  uibj 
-unora  Xjjoeg  jo 
spurns  u99Ajj3g 

nH  t*=\ 

705 

928 

1,086 

485 

rt 

g» 

CI 

'5,25 
.  «-> 

O  £J  3 
>  ° 

•aSttBJ 
•JIM  -Cspog  jo 
jiununs  jo  lssg 

rt  rt 

Qt  CM 

H  rH 

646 

O  O  *0 

H 

rt  eo  rr 

s 

Rocky  mountain 
range. 

JO 

—JO  3SBq 
UOIJBA3I2 

4,091 

4,091 

4,470 

4,500 

4,500 

4,700 

4,172 

— OJ  SRU 
-IUU9J  OI9JSB9 
mOIJ  30llBJSI(J 

00  00 

t-s  rH 
rH  pH 

l-H  r-t 

-»-a 

(to)  630 

(w)  604 

(n)  604 

(0)  700 

rt 

CD 

/—V 

’U000‘l  unqjgsai  uoij 
-BA313  UB  JB  S9[tta  JO  ‘0^ 

470 

309 

Tf< 

rH 

Cl 

340 

275 

533 

957 

1 

1,000 

feet. 

, 

1,555 

1,555 

1,818 

c 

r- 

to  CI 

rH  O 

O  ^ 

r»  r»  r> 

(N  M 

1,118 

rt 

d 

vrt 

w 

3m 

03 

«-> 

2,000 

feet. 

to  »o 

I-  r- 
ci  Ci 

1,579 

1,464 

1,707 

1, 153  . 

747 

03 

>M 

be 

rt 

03 

72 

03 

(M 

*rt 

03 

> 

O 

pQ 

rt 

3,000 

feet. 

255 

255 

1.432 

1.285 

7 

1,507 

935 

620 

4,000 

feet. 

10 13 
<n  cn 

n  rl 

00 

i- 

CI 

<r* 

rH 

951 

1,374 

745 

520 

£ 

O 

•  M 

rt 

> 

5,000 

feet. 

eo  00 

693 

485 

649 

651 

00 

Cl 

'B 

rt 

rt 

6,000 

feet, 

0  0 

391 

315 

365 

317 

0 

rt 

w 

^03 

1 

*s 

In 

03 

7,000 

feet. 

©  © 

119 

! 

255 

255 

8 

0 

8,000 

feet. 

©  © 

CO 

rH 

100 

O 

O 

M 

O 

0 

rt 

s 

rt 

£ 

9,000 

feet. 

©  © 

O 

8  8 

© 

0 

10,000 

feet. 

©  © 

O 

a 

O 

O 

0 

Length 
in  miles. 

2,025 

1,864 

2,032 

2,080 

2,290 

2,025 

2,075 

£  fc 


rt  rt 
«  o 

73  73 

Q3  QJ 
>  > 
g  O 

*5  ^ 

rt  ci 

*-3  -h 
O  y 

dd 
•g  5! 

•S  _. 
G  3 
rt  rt 

*M  ;_ 

2  » 


j.  {jj 

SSt 


S-'a5- 

•-  £-  = 

an  r.  G 
an  in  O 

‘33  "m  ■£ 

.2  “  cs  . 

i  ®  y 

■Qc 
c  S  cs 

O  O  o  W 
dd  bEj 
as  m  -G  ^ 

d  d"®  “ 

p  •=  o  ® 
W  irt  p  d 

5'S'  C'  S 


M 

y 

► 

•fl 

efl 

a 

d 

a 

a 

<3 

“d  J 

43  a>  — c 

d  0  y 

“  <D 


0) 

.f*  *3 

rt  v-  -rt 

c  .g,  > 

rt  cd 

CD  Cm 

J-i  ^  03 

03  ^  Q 

jrt  o  ^ 

4_2  rt 
-  03  73 
-h  d3  rt 
O  .  03 

o-rt-^ 
+*  03  4-» 

S  o 


s 

o 

£ 

03 

rt 


03 

O 


o 

73 


03 


-i  rt 
•ago 

73  rx 

cs8 

.5  ts  03 


rt 


03  73 
>*~ 

g^ 

rt£ 
w  • 

03  > 

• 

tH 

O)  03 

^  r3 


y 
y  c 


d.y  cs 

c  y  d 

S  o  G 
oj  rt 

rxrt  GQ 

?n  C 

£  01  5 
>  A  o 
£  d'd 

■Sts  tn 

3  Sd 

O  c3-p 

tc  p 

.2  feT- 

JS 

03  *C  ^ 

^  Eo  ® 

-s  rt  -11 


CD 

&a 

.2  S 

73  73 

.2  5=3  • 
rt  -3 

^  bd  03 


73 

rt  0^  0 
O  0  > 

nir^3  g 
43 -Q 
®  3  » 
y  o  *-> 
35  a  y 

s 

-  03  _ 

03  r-  ,r?  O 


<-  c.-3  03  r-»  rt  ^ 

o  ’I^-|“ehS 

^.rt  '  rt  w  rt  o 

Sr"  03  iQ 
U  od  rt 


d 

o 

>-« 

03 

73 

03 

*rt 

rti 

be 

C 

V» 

03 

03 


O  03 

03  tJ 
r*^  g 

03  CO4 
>  03 
i-4  >1 

rt  ^ 

W  C3 
03  >»  ci 
^  4J  CJ 
♦J  O  73 

v<  2  Q1 

0  y  > 

73  J- 

-d  rt 


o 

r-l 

nrt 

rt 

rt 

rg 

B 

o 

S 

73 


s 

o 

73 

03 


t- 

«N 

Jm 

03 

> 

•rt 

S-. 

rt 


O  J3 
10  o 

«  2 
■°  S 

2  os 

3  rt 

g  ^ 
♦2  o 

SO 

73  w 

G  3 

a  o 

73^ 

£'^ 
fc£)  ^ 
'd  ^-T 
TJ  rt 

C2  rt 

rt 

o  rt. 


03 


rt  o 

»  «- 
03  x  03 

rt  <rt 

03  g  ^ 

r-1  rt  QQ 

r]  g  03 

H  r*"  GO 

x^rt-e 

QQ 


rt 
o 

a. 

-C  03 

rt  t  *C3 
3  rt  ~ 
-rt  03 
O  73  — • 

CgG 

O 

^  a  ^ 

O  -rt  ^ 

W  <D  W 


rt 

o 

& 

TS 

c 

a 


- 

Sp 


w  r-T 

J5 

Eh  ..  -g 
?  rt 
y  S  « 

*rS  £ 

pC  73  t“ 

^tcrt  2 

’I  C3  r 
C  rt  ^ 

^  ^ w 
O  TT  O 
«_»  03  ♦-» 

s=s 

^  y  bD 

r«S® 

« 

*•  §  * 
c  2  .- 
y  c  « 

«  y  S 

y  3  p 
a .  — 

>>  bG 

o  y-s 

a  '*" 

0  £  •- 

g 

.2  5t  O 

.5?^ 

SB* 

•s  y  d 
s  y  d 
ci2  a 
3  a  ^ 

-G  2  an 
•jp  •->  S 

^1 

03  ^  fcO 

S3  c3 

£ji8 

,0^ 

y  £  oT 

a«  s- 

e  ^d 

S  <C  p 
°X«  AS 

£,•£  = 
«.’  3 

o  «■»  -- 

03  C  g 

2 

£  'S  !  ? 

_  w  ><  a 


03 

-rt 

♦j 

c c 


03  03 

s  ^ 

rt  2 
71  Ch 

S  y 


g  =  3^ 

y  =  =  feT 

y  d  0  ?. 
J=  X  s’  »> 

a  c--  « 

|  .22  B  ^ 

'.  w  rt  tb 
K  rt  5^  CD 

^  S  c  s 

c  rt  o-° 

c  1  .0 

^  .tr^  o 
rt  *0 
C" 

5  ?j 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH, 


s*. 

© 

IT 

© 

Co 

© 

■HX 

© 

i — ^ 

© 

© 

S> 

© 

co 

© 

r< 


©'  £ 
~  © 
•  © 
©  © 
^  O 

© 

00 

©  ^ 
©  © 

Co  ~ 

r<  <53 
■Ho  _  — > 

^  © 
l"0  ■HO 

-j 

g  g 


CO  cs 

***£  fo 

§< 

«  § 

ry'^ 

© 

§  £ 
§  S 
S  v. 

CcT^ 

•^o 

©^ 

S5 

© 

I'OJ 

© 

r-c; 

**o 

©> 

•s 

© 

N 

© 

00 

© 

roj 

rO 

JS 


<M 


© 


•ajncu  am  uo 

ss^d  jsaqSiq  aqj  jo  jiuiunig 

b?  S  8 

©  O  .00  o  o 

wf-  r>  •  r\  f'  r> 

^  CO  •  GO  O  O 

•  i— <  r*H 

oi  t-  n 

S  o 

IN  IN  IN 

!■  <9  H 

•000‘0I  Pub  000‘6 

o  o  o  o  o 

Cl  Cl 

o  o  o 

•000‘6  P««  000£8 

O  O  CO  o  o 

r-M  30  00 

O  35  O 

•000‘8  000‘i 

O  OP  in  lO 

O  lO  iO 

r-t  r-f  r-t 

25 

0 

Q 

*000£i  Pub  000£9 

0 

0 

279 

60 

no 

©too 

o> 

<fo 

•000c9  Pub  000£S 

28 

0 

302 

170 

284 

334 

28 

0 

•ooo£e  pub  ooo£p 

97 

0 

585 

466 

725 

Tt*  Cl  O 

O  05 

•ooo£p  pub  ooo£e 

130 

0 

154 

348 

143 

o  o  o 
o>  o 

rH  r-4 

•000£C  PUB  000  ‘b 

o  or-  o  o 

Cl  ^  CO  CD 

i"-  i— C  i— t  r— t 

218 

127 

0 

•jaaj  000‘5  uaqi  ssaj  pu« 
000£I  UBm  JaiBajS  uop 
-BAa[9  UK  IB  Sa]I(U  jo  -o^[ 

580 

0 

239 

276 

308 

05  *— <  O 

CC  CO  r-^ 

cc  cc 

■jaaj  000£  I 
UBqi  ssaj  puB  o  aAoqB  uoij 
-BAaja  ub  jb  sajim  jo  -o^j 

309 

161 

214 

340 

275 

533 

489 

468 

Sterile  region. 

•uoiSaj  aiqBAij 
-inaun  ui  puB]  ajqa 
-jb  jo  saipoq  jsaSjB} 
jo  SB8JB  jo  sums  jo 
sapui  ajBnbs  jo  ‘op^ 

0-0  o  o 

0*0  o  o 

O  *  r-i  r— < 

r>  •  r«  in  in 

t—4  •  »— 4  r— ♦  i— J 

•  «-G>n  <0 

• 

9.300 

2.300 

•SB3JB  [[BUIS  Ul 

punoj  2uiaq  |ios  ajqB 
-jb  ‘a[qBAij[naun  A[ 
-[BJauad  spuBj  jOjqj 
ajnoj  jo  sajiui  jo  -om 

1,490 

0 

1,400 

1,460 

1,620 

1,023 

979 

0 

•puBi  ajqBJB 

£ojqr  ajnor  jo  sa]iui  jo  -oj^ 

374 

161 

632 

620 

670 

1,002 

618 

478 

•sajnoi  tna 

-jajyip  jo  jsoo  aAijBiBduioQ 

fl30,781,000 

f-  10,090.000 
116,095,000 

Cost  so  great 
that  the  road 
is  impracti¬ 
cable. 

94,720,000 

68,970,000 

19,020,000 

•asuadxa  §uri)joA\  jBnba 
jo  atnoj  iaAa[  jo  qi^uaq 

Miles. 

2,207 

180 

2,583 

3,026 

3,360 

2,969 

2, 161 

660 

•siuaosop  pun  s^uaosH  jo  iung 

i 

Miles. 

18,100 

1,000 
29, 120 

49, 986 

56,514 

49,954 

29,784 

9,617 

•ajnoa  pBOJ 

-{tbj  pasodoad  Aq  aouBisiQ 

•  — •  O}  o  o 

&  O  O  PI  00  CTi 

5r  oo  r-i  o  o  d 

lx  e  in  in  e 

Cl  a  Cl 

2,025 

1,597 

478 

■auii  tq§iBJ}s  ui  aouBtsiQ 

Miles. 

1,445 

1,410 

1,740 

1,740 

1,550 

1,400 

350 

m 

<D 

£* 


.2*3 
z>  a 

ci  25 

i-  __ 

p  — 

a$j 


g 

P.  CD 

>  o)r  : 

5  3"'M  o 

sS^o 

'C  rt®  z  2 

e>  o  S  2 
es  —  **  «  '*-• 

X  *)  i-H  *s 

ji  o  ^  52 
^  —  P  -x  2 
£-  3  £  £  i^H 
^  a 
£  .  ^  -  -  « 
s«lsl3 


ix^ 

<D  »s  fv 

=  O  >» 
cC  O  Ci 

v-  eft  — 

5 'S  ”3 

^  <—  a; 

x  fi  2 
2>  £  73 

co  ^ c. 


~  o 

M  I  ■> 

c*  _  *-*  ns 


c  ■=■  s,;s 

a  «  02  X 

<u  £  c  a>  M 

*■  O  #  S  5  « 

3 .5  fo  s  fo  o 

-  —  x  o  > 


o  "*-  x  o  1 

«  W« 


■x  = 

c  *  S3 
rt«2  3 
x  o  rt 

%  1 1 

”  g.| 

x  £T  « 

<o  X 

k  o  u  _ 

CS  >  O  — 
4)>  O  ®< 
C  r>  w 

g-fofoO, 
«  f 


I  I 

c-2 
CC  T3 
*■*  P 

P  r3 
p  p 
Ul  cc 

-  rt 
O  Q. 
o 


fa 

p 

3 


2 

C  -P 

p<£ 
<-*  o 

<®  q 


£*= 


P  • 
Pu  O 

J-« 

JP  PJ 

4-*  0) 

lT5  - 
00  * 
0  fi 
:  t—  P 


&4 

s 

o 

*3  . 

25  O 
rt  a 

>«  Cfl 

So 

zr  - 
6  2 
^fo 

a>  c 

J5  CS 

~  m 


fo 

£ 

o 

>1 


o 

u 

m 


5  «  s 
aidt: 

T3  SR 

<2  sc  3 
"  =  S 
O-SjSQ 

5  jo 

u.  O  - 
cs  -j  a 
a>  _  o 

H  ffl 

J2fi 
gCB'gMgS^ 

'  "  «  w 


S*S2 

cr  ff2 

*sSs 


«  « 


-T3 

© 

o 

a 

rs 

o 

+-* 

P 

(D 

g 

3 

'3 

cr 

CD 

TJl 

— 

^3 

P 

CCS 

a T 

<D 

■*-» 

P 

o 

J- 

>- 

«D 


o 

CD 


CO 

C5 

CO 

O 

O 

<D 

CO 

C5J 

<D 

i-> 

o 

p 


o 

rs 

-- 

C3 

•?3 

P 

cS 

•*-» 

CO 

<D 


C3 

CO 

CD 

•G 


P 

D 

a 

PJ 


«'%=  A 

!  I® ! 

fit  1»  tc  >3 
foX  CS.3 
J5  3;  ■*-* 

«•  s  " '  a 

«—  £  J3 

X  ■»  -X  ^ 

«  6; 

C  3  X  ^ 

^  22^  . 
^•=11 
Is  I? 

2  Tf"£  * 

'~Tk  £.  —  O  & 
co  .P  *-*  o  5. 

2;  P  —  p  2 
"g  zs 


D  ' 


-c  'H  2 
«  5cs2S 

g3  o-S  § 

x  2  f?  «  3 
3  .s  «  s  o 

h*  — ■  «»J  _ 

SS3S? 

h~Sx  g 
2'o=2  2 

t3  =  ®  F  S 

2;  S  *-  3  , 

C  2  5  o>H 

®  5  O  »  O 
o  u  "2  ® 
=  x  2  w  § 

g.  ..O  «  fe 

_  CO  ^  CO  3 

P  ^  w  P  o 


o 


tD 

P 

o 


fcj) 

p 

*rH 

> 

es 


C 

fo 


X  «x  w>§ 

~  fo  t-  3  a. 

~  Z  *  ®  S 

c;  ®  -a 
_  x  3  » 

flj  *  ^  o 

r-  2  ®  V,  tS  S 

'*"  fo  >  o  3  9 

3  £  fc-  CJ  qi  ® 

>  §  £  <£  3  ®  X 

S  51 -S 

W  o  =  ”  v  •>  S 
.  rH-it# 

1® »2: is 
g«M  »«S 

>'3  £"2  3  -x 

ocC«2'Sa 
©  *  5  •-  £  fo  § 


=  o5;m-« 

®  —T  -  ,5  ®  «  ® 
k  ci  fo  2  x  3  o 

X  *J  >>  o  eS 
*f  2  X  3  X  s"  <M 
|  _  2  s  3  «  o 

*  O  — •  CS  O  w  a 

:  P  ~  j-  P  2.  0 


<u  w  «  _  S  -O 
X  c  fo  5  ®  S 
o^srs”, 

”  .=  x  B.  >  i  =  a 


C 


c  P  x  c  E 
.p  p  d  —  .5 


-  73  -S 

bCD  « 


g  «  «  -  2i-“ 


®  •  «  T3 
r-  ®  — 


_  3  £ 
® 

C 
C 
3 


3  O 

_■“  s 

x  2  o  u  o  « .2 

£  o « ^'i3l 

Sx'o^l 

» 

.  sc  =  x  S  >"  ♦; 
o  3  3  c  5  2  a 

*-  -K  ”  •’=>  2  ®  ’Z 
OirOStS^® 
Z)®a.K3e3  9 

-  c  ZS  ~  —  P  ,r* 

H  £a}EH  2=  5H 

►—  2  ++<«  x  x  «  c= 
is  3-^3 

o  s^a 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


53 


No.  3  . 


Boston,  March  31,  1856. 

My  Bear  Sir:  Your  favor,  enclosing  a  memorandum  from  Mr.  Kid- 
well,  (both  without  date,)  is  received,  but  circumstances  have  pre¬ 
vented  me  from  giving  an  earlier  reply.  The  memorandum  asks 
information  relative  to  the  cost  of  transporting  freight  upon  rail¬ 
roads,  particularly  upon  certain  existing  and  contemplated  lines 
therein  named.  It  is  well  known  to  those  familiar  with  these  mat¬ 
ters  that  there  is  great  difference  in  the  cost  of  transportation  upon 
different  roads,  caused  by  the  location  and  characteristics  of  such 
roads,  and  other  circumstances,  which  must  be  known,  or  assumed  as 
the  basis  of  calculation,  for  even  an  approximate  estimate  of  such  cost. 
The  grade  of  the  road — a  very  important  item  ;  the  facility  and  ex¬ 
pense  of  procuring  fuel  and  water  ;  full  loads  each  way,  to  save  loss 
by  drawing  empty  cars,  &c.,  materially  affect  the  cost  of  transporta¬ 
tion.  For  instance,  the  Reading  railroad — over  which  a  vast  quan¬ 
tity  of  coal  is  annually  carried — is  on  a  level  or  descending  grade 
nearly  the  whole  distance  from  Pottsville  to  Philadelphia  ;  there  is  at 
all  times  a  full  supply  of  freight,  so  that  the  quantity  by  each  train 
can  be  adapted  to  the  motive  power  ;  fuel  is  obtained  at  the  mines  at 
a  cheap  rate ;  and  every  circumstance  is  favorable  for  transporting  at 
low  cost  excepting  the  fact  that  a  portion  of  the  cars  must  be  returned, 
to  the  mines  empty.  Over  this  road  coal  is  carried  at  something  less 
than  two  cents  per  ton  per  mile,  while  four  cents  per  mile  for  the  mis¬ 
cellaneous  freight  usually  carried  over  our  New  England  roads  proves 
to  be  unremunerative  to  most  of  them. 

I  am  unable  to  give  the  relative  cost  of  transportation  over  the  sev¬ 
eral  routes  named  in  the  memorandum  ;  but,  assuming  four  cents  per 
ton  per  mile  as  the  lowest  rate,  and  the  shortest  route  from  New  York 
to  San  Francisco  to  be  2,500  miles,  it  would  cost  one  hundred  dollars 
to  carry  a  ton  of  goods  from  one  of  these  cities  to  the  other  by  rail¬ 
road,  a  charge  quite  disproportionate  to  the  average  value  of  goods 
usually  shipped  between  the  two  places,  and  too  heavy  to  be  borne  by 
most  of  them.  The  best  answer  I  can  give  to  the  inquiry  as  to  the 
present  and  prospective  rates  of  transportation  over  existing  railroads 
will  be  found  in  a  pamphlet  recently  published  by  Captain  William 
H.  Swift,  formerly  in  the  United  States  service,  a  copy  of  which  will 
be  sent  with  this.  I  entirely  concur  with  him  in  opinion,  that  these 
rates  must  be  materially  increased  to  make  railroads  remunerative, 
and  this  remark  will  apply  to  those  that  may  hereafter  be  constructed 
as  well  as  to  those  already  in  use.  I  doubt  if  a  railroad  from  the  Mis¬ 
sissippi  to  the  Pacific  would  derive  much  support  from  the  transporta¬ 
tion  of  merchandise.  The  advocates  for  building  this  road  profess  to 
believe  that  a  large  portion  of  the  productions  of  India  and  China 
would  ultimately  find  their  way  to  the  Atlantic  States  by  this  route. 
Such  is  not  my  belief.  At  the  present  time,  first-class  ships,  that  will 
carry  2,000  tons  each,  may  be  chartered  for  a  voj^age  from  New  York 
or  Boston  thence  to  Canton  or  Calcutta,  and  back  to  the  United  States, 
for  $50,000  the  voyage  round,  thus  bringing  the  rate  of  freight  to 


54 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


$12  50  per  ton  out  or  home.  It  will  cost  nearly  or  quite  as  much  to 
bring  a  ton  of  merchandise  from  Canton  or  Calcutta  to  San  Francisco 
as  to  bring  it  to  the  Atlantic  States,  and  the  expense  of  bringing  it 
from  California  to  New  York  by  railroad  would  be  at  least  three  times 
as  much  as  the  profit  expected  by  the  merchant  upon  the  whole  voy¬ 
age  as  now  carried  on. 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

WILLIAM  STURGIS. 

Hon.  N.  P.  Banks,  Jr., 

Washington ,  D .  C. 


No.  4. 


Thursday  Evening,  April  3. 

My  Dear  Sir  :  Mr.  Sturgis  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  intelligent 
merchants  of  this  country.  He  was  early  connected  with  the  com¬ 
merce  of  the  Pacific. 

Truly  yours. 


N.  P.  BANKS,  Jr. 


No.  5. 

Memorandum. 

I  desire  to  learn  from  one  of  the  ablest  shipping  merch  mts  of 
Boston,  what  would  be  the  ordinary  expenses,  per  ton,  of  shipping 
goods  in  sailing-vessels,  or  in  propellers,  from  Boston,  by  the  way  of 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  to  San  Francisco?  In  making  his  calcula¬ 
tions,  I  wish  him  to  assume  that  good  wharves,  piers,  docks,  and  store¬ 
houses  exist  at  both  Panama  and  Aspinwall ;  and  that  the  railroad 
across  the  Isthmus  has  a  double  track  and  abundance  of  rolling 
stock. 

The  answer  is  desired  for  the  purpose  of  publishing  it  with  a  report 
upon  the  subject  of  constructing  a  railroad  to  the  Pacific,  and  hence 
as  near  an  approximation  to  the  truth  as  possible  from  such  imperfect 
data  will  much  oblige. 

Truly, 

Z.  KIDWELL. 

Hon.  Speaker  Banks, 

House  of  Representatives. 


Boston,  March  29,  1856. 

Sir:  The  inquiries  of  the  Hon.  Mr.  Kidwell,  which  reached  us  under 
cover  of  your  favor  of  7th  instant,  have  been  submitted  to  one  of  our 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH.  55 

most  intelligent  shipping  houses,  largely  engaged  in  the  Pacific 
trade,  and  herewith  we  beg  to  give  their  reply. 

Very  truly,  your  obedient  servants, 

J.  M.  BEEBE,  RICHARDSON  &  CO. 
Hon.  N.  P.  Banks,  Jr., 

Speaker  of  House  of  Representatives ,  Washington ,  D.  C, 


Office  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 

Boston ,  March  29,  1856. 

Gentlemen  :  The  letter  of  Mr.  Banks,  and  the  memorandum  of  Mr. 
Kidwell  concerning  the  cost  of  transporting  merchandise  from  Boston 
to  San  Francisco,  I  handed  to  Messrs.  Glidden  &  Williams,  who 
are  largely  engaged  in  the  shipping  business  with  that  place. 

Enclosed  I  have  the  honor  of  transmitting  to  you  their  reply,  and 
to  remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  C.  BATES, 

Secretary . 


Messrs.  James  M.  Beebe  &  Co., 

Boston . 


Boston,  March  28,  1856. 

Dear  Sir:  In  reply  to  Hon.  Mr.  Kidwell’s  inquiries,  through  Mr. 
Banks,  we  beg  to  say,  that  an  answer  will  have  to  he  based  only  on 
estimate,  as  there  are  no  vessels  in  the  trade  from  here,  via  the  Isth¬ 
mus  of  Panama,  to  San  Francisco. 

The  rate  now  from  New  York  by  steamboats,  on  each  side,  is  $2  50 
per  foot,  or  $100  per  ton  for  measurement  goods.  We  estimate  that  a 
fair  price  would  be,  by  propellers — - 


Hence  to  Aspinwall .  40  cents  per  foot. 

Railroad — Aspinwall  to  Panama .  30  “ 

Panama  to  San  Francisco .  60  u 


$1  30 


or  $52  per  ton  ;  and  say  for  dead  weight  about  one-third  less — $35 
per  ton. 

This  is  on  the  supposition  that  there  should  he  regular  lines  of 
propellers  connecting  promptly  on  each  side,  with  a  fair  amount  of 
business  to  sustain  them. 

For  sailing-vessels  the  rates  would  he  one-half  that  named  for 
propellers;  say — 

To  Aspinwall . . .  20  cents  per  foot. 

Railroad  to  Panama .  30  iC 

Panama  to  San  Francisco .  30  (i 


80  “ 

or  $32  per  ton  ;  for  dead  weight  about  one-third  less — $22  per  ton. 


56 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


We  would  remark,  however,  that  there  are  not  many  goods-  that 
can  afford  to  pay  such  high  rates.  We  think  that  while  shippers  can 
place  their  goods  in  San  Francisco  from  New  York  and  Boston,  at 
$12  to  $14  per  ton,  as  now,  by  first  class*clipper  ships,  there  will  not 
he  enough  of  the  finer  goods  sent  forward  to  lead  to  a  reduction  of 
present  rates  to  even  the  prices  named  above,  and  that  the  trade  will 
he  carried  on  principally  by  sailing-vessels  around  the  Horn,  the 
steamers  taking  goods  of  high  value,  and  such  as  may  he  temporarily 
in  great  demand  continuing  to  get  high  rates  for  them. 

Yours  very  truly, 

GLIDDEN  &  WILLIAMS. 

J.  C.  Bates,  Esq.,  - 

Secretary  Board  of  Trade . 


No.  6. 

Court  Street,  Boston,  Mass., 

March  18,  1856. 

Hon.  N.  P.  Banks:  Your  favor,  enclosing  the  queries  of  Mr.  Kid- 
well,  is  before  me.  It  finds  me  very  busy.  The  questions  cover  a 
wide  surface,  and  some  of  them  would  require  much  thought  and 
careful  estimates  for  a  very  exact  reply  ;  hut  I  will  endeavor,  to  the 
best  of  my  ability,  to  respond  to  most  of  the  inquiries. 

It  is  difficult  to  measure  the  capacity  of  a  railroad  without  defining 
the  gradients;  for  the  same  engine  which  draws  700  tons  on  a  level, 
will  take  less  than  70  over  a  gradient  of  eighty  feet  to  the  mile.  It 
will  also  draw  1,000  passengers  on  a  level  line  with  the  same  facility 
it  can  take  150  on  the  80-feet  gradient. 

Assuming  a  line  100  miles  long,  with  no  gradient  exceeding  ten 
feet  to  the  mile,  and  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  business  at  each  ex¬ 
tremity,  I  entertain  no  doubt  that  a  single  track  might  transport 
annually  a  million  of  tons  and  a  million  of  passengers. 

In  practice,  however,  these  advantages  are  not  found.  Few  lines 
have  less  than  thirty-feet  gradients,  the  trains  are  rarely  filled,  the 
business  fluctuates  the  season,  is  very  irregular,  and  under  the  most 
favorable  circumstances,  and  under  the  best  management,  I  think  a 
single  track  may  have  an  extreme  capacity  to  transport  yearly  500,000 
passengers  and  500,000  tons  of  freight.  The  highest  limit  thus  far 
attained,  in  my  experience,  is  not,  however,  more  than  two-thirds  of 
that  amount.  By  doubling  the  tracks  the  capacity  is  increased  at 
least  seven-fold  ;  and  I  know  of  one  line,  the  Reading  railroad,  now 
transporting  annually  about  two  and  a  half  million  tons  of  freight, 
mostly  in  one  direction. 

The  average  cost  of  transportation  here  has  increased,  in  the  last 
eight  years,  more  than  40  per  cent.;  it  is,  however,  now  falling.  The 
rise  has  been  caused  by  the  advance  of  materials,  labor,  and  fuel,  par¬ 
ticularly  the  last,  which  is  becoming  exhausted  in  many  districts  of 
our  State.  A  part  of  the  rise  is  due  to  repairs  deferred  from  previous 
years,  and  I  consider  the  permanent  rise  to  be  not  far  from  25  per  cent. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


57 


Assuming  a  railroad  built  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco  cost¬ 
ing  $40,000  a  mile  for  a  single  track,  and  transporting  but  30,000 
passengers,  or  50 — viz :  one  car  load — daily  in  each  direction,  I  should, 
of  course,  send  but  one  light  engine  in  each  direction  every  week-day, 
and  having  no  competition,  except  by  sea  and  the  Isthmus,  would 
charge  at  least  5  cents  per  mile.  I  should  estimate  the  cost  of  trans¬ 
portation  at  one-half  the  charge,  and  should  thus  net  from  passengers 
2^  cents  per  mile,  $2  50  per  mile  daily,  and  $780  yearly.  I  should 
charge  for  mails  $500  per  mile  more,  making  net  $1,280,  or  3^  per 
cent,  on  my  capital.  On  gold  by  the  same  train,  say  forty  millions 
of  dollars,  I  should  charge  at  least  two  per  cent.,  or  $800,000  ;  this 
would  yield  me  $260  per  mile  more,  or  of  one  per  cent.  I  should 
thus  have  3  LYV  per  cent,  on  my  capital.  I  should  calculate  by  my  ex¬ 
press  freight  on  the  same  train  to  make  TyF  of  one  per  cent.,  thus 
earning  my  four  per  cent,  by  one  passenger  train. 

As  a  line  to  the  Pacific  would  probably  follow  the  emigrant  route 
by  Fort  Laramie,  I  should  expect  from  New  York  to  Fort  Laramie, 
or  two-thirds  of  the  way,  an  average  gradient  less  than  thirty  feet  to 
the  mile  ;  and  with  plenty  of  through  freight  for  one  or  more  trains 
daily,  each  way,  and  but  one  loading  and  unloading,  I  tbink  the  cost 
would  fall  below  one  cent  per  ton  a  mile  ;  for  the  remaining  third  of 
the  distance  I  should  expect  to  double  the  cost,  and  thus  make  the  ave¬ 
rage  cost  less  than  1^  cents  per  ton  a  mile. 

I  think  the  charge  on  through  freight  should  be  at  least  2J  cents 
per  ton  a  mile. 

In  thus  responding  to  these  inquiries,  however,  I  do  not  wish  to  ex¬ 
press,  even  by  implication,  the  opinion  that  the  through  travel,  with 
a  continuous  track  to  the  Pacific,  would  be  limited  to  30,000,  or  even 
100,000  passengers.  I  believe  that  in  five  years  after  a  line  should 
be  laid  down  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  to  Fort  Laramie,  the  local 
population  on  each  side,  created  by  the  line,  would  more  than  pay  all 
its  expenses.  I  believe,  also,  that  the  great  business  of  a  Pacific  rail¬ 
way  would  be  to  supply  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  with  silks,  spices, 
coffee,  tea,  oil,  and  sugar,  and  to  take  back  western  emigrants,  dairy 
produce,  live  stock,  tobacco,  and  other  western  produce. 

It  is  the  result  of  my  experience,  that  it  requires  an  annual  expendi¬ 
ture  of  twenty  per  cent,  in  the  cost  of  cars  and  engines,  to  cover  re¬ 
pairs  and  deterioration  ;  and  companies  which  wish  to  keep  up  their 
stock  make  such  expenditure.  The  wear  of  passenger  cars  is  quite  as 
heavy  as  the  usual  wear  of  freight  cars. 

The  railroads  of  Massachusetts  derive  more  than  half  their  income 
from  way-business.  More  than  two-thirds  the  passengers  are  way-pas¬ 
sengers,  and  as  you  lengthen  the  line  the  proportion  of  through  busi¬ 
ness  diminishes.  On  the  line  from  Boston  to  Albany,  75  per  cent,  of 
the  gross  income  is  derived  from  way-business. 

The  Reading  railroad,  however,  in  Pennsylvania,  which  carries 
freight  at  six  mills  per  ton  a  mile,  in  trains  of  423  tons,  carries  most 
of  its  tonnage  over  seven-eighths  of  its  line,  and  in  one  direction  re¬ 
turning  with  empty  trains.  It  pays  interest  on  its  debt,  and  earns 
16  per  cent,  on  its  stock;  and  I  think  more  than  three-fourths  of  this 
is  derived  from  what  is  substantially  through  business. 


58 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


The  Boston  and  Worcester  railroad  is  44  miles  long,  from  Wor¬ 
cester  to  Boston.  It  is  fed  by  three  railroads  at  Worcester,  and  has 
consequently  more  through  business  than  the  Western.  I  have  been 
conversant  with  its  affairs  for  twenty  years,  and  have  lived  near  it. 
When  first  built  it  cost  $1,800,000;  had  little  traffic  except  through 
business.  The  local  was  not  considered  of  value. 

It  paid  six  to  seven  per  cent.,  and  soon  built  up  a  large  local  busi¬ 
ness,  and  populous  villages  now  stand  in  places  then  desolate.  As  its 
business  increased  it  doubled  its  tracks  and  stations  and  equipage,  and 
made  branches,  and  since  1839  has  nearly  trebled  its  capital,  and  still 
pays  six  to  eight  per  cent. 

I  do  not  think,  however,  its  local  business  alone  would  have  paid  it 
for  twenty  years  above  three  per  cent. 

With  respect  to  the  cost  of  transportation  on  railroads,  it  depends 
on  four  elements:  The  length  of  line,  fuel,  gradients,  and  amount  of 
business.  Where  the  run  is  short,  say  ten  miles,  the  loading  and  un¬ 
loading  costs  three  cents  per  mile,  and  the  engine  and  cars  cannot 
average  with  freight  trains  more  than  half  a  day’s  duty.  Transport¬ 
ation  in  such  cases  may  cost  seven  cents  per  mile. 

Where  the  run  is  100  miles  or  more,  and  the  fuel  cheap  and  the 
business  ample  and  gradient  light,  a  vast  business  can  he  done,  and 
passengers  and  freight  be  transported  at  less  than  one  cent  per  pas¬ 
senger  and  ton  per  mile. 

Cities  and  towns  spring  up  in  twenty  years.  Worcester  and  Spring- 
field  have  in  that  time  increased  six  fold  ;  and  if  a  new  line  be  now 
laid  through  a  fertile  solitude,  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  create  a  popu¬ 
lous  country  aiound  it. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  yours, 

E.  H.  DERBY. 

P.  S. — I  cannot  conclude  this  letter  without  expressing  a  few  hopes 
as  to  the  Pacific  railway.  Should  Congress  grant  charters,  let  me 
express  the  hope,  that  they  will  not  he  intrusted  to  reckless  speculators 
alone,  but  that  Congress,  like  Hapoleon,  will  select  the  most  compe¬ 
tent  men  in  the  country  as  corporators.  Such  course  will,  in  my 
opinion,  save  one-third  the  cost  of  construction.  Let  me  advocate,  too, 
the  policy  of  adopting  at  once  three  lines ;  one  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Kansas,  by  Fort  Laramie,  to  San  Francisco;  another  from  the  frontier 
of  Texas  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  ;  another  from  Superior  to  the 
Straits  of  St.  Juan  de  Fuca.  It  seems  to  me  they  are  all  necessary  to 
develop  the  country  and  to  quiet  the  different  sections  of  the  Union. 

Had  I  the  honor  to  act  on  the  committee,  I  should  advocate  three 
charters  for  these  lines,  and  for  each  mile  finished  I  would  suggest  a 
grant  of  $10,000  per  mile,  for  which  the  company  should  give  its 
bond,  conditioned  to  transport  the  mail  daily,  in  each  direction,  at  the 
rate  of  500  miles  per  day,  and  to  carry  free  the  officers,  soldiers,  and 
sailors  of  the  United  States,  and  the  munitions  of  war,  at  a  low  fixed 
price,  in  preference  to  all  other  freight. 

For  fifty  millions  the  government  might  thus  cheaply  secure  vast 
advantages  ;  and  rating  government  stock  at  4|  per  cent.,  would  se¬ 
em  e  them  at  little  more  than  the  ordinary  cost  of  mail  transportation. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


59 


I  would  then  suggest  a  grant  of  a  width  of  ten  rods  for  the  road 
of  each  alternate  section  for  fifteen  miles  on  each  side  of  the  road  to 
the  company,  coupled  with  the  condition  that  it  should  be  faithfully 
applied  to  defray  the  cost  of  the  road,  and  reserving  to  the  United 
States  the  privilege,  at  any  time,  of  taking  the  line  at  the  cost  over 
the  mortgage,  with  interest,  at  the  rate  of  eight  per  cent.,  and  an  ad¬ 
vance  of  twenty-five  per  cent,  on  such  cost  and  interest  after  crediting 
ninety  per  cent,  of  the  amount  that  should  be  realized  from  the  sales 
of  the  land  granted. 

Such  plans  would  enable  the  government  always  to  exert  a  salutary 
control  over  the  rates  of  transportation,  and  the  grant  of  land  would 
thus  inure  to  the  benefit  of  the  Union. 

The  State  also  should  have  the  appointment  of  some  of  the  directors. 


No.  7. 

Boston  and  Worcester  Railroad, 

Auditor’s  Office,  Boston ,  April  26,  1856. 

Sir  :  The  president  of  the  Boston  and  Worcester  Railroad,  to  whom 
your  letter  of  the  14th  instant  was  addressed,  in  relation  to  the  num¬ 
ber  of  persons  employed,  and  the  amount  paid  them  by  the  corporation, 
has  been  so  much  occupied  that  he  has  not  found  time  to  answer  your 
inquiries,  and  has  directed  me  to  attend  to  that  duty,  and  explain  to 
you  the  cause  of  delay. 

I  find,  upon  making  an  analysis  of  our  pay-rolls,  the  following  re¬ 
sult,  viz : 

That  there  are  employed  in  the  several  offices  at  the  principal  sta¬ 
tion  in  Boston  ten  persons,  whose  annual  average  compensation  is 
$1,570  each,  varying  from  that  of  the  clerk  or  secretary  of  the  corpo¬ 
ration,  which  is  $200,  to  that  of  the  president,  which  is  $4,000  per 
annum. 

There  are  also  eighty-three  other  persons,  who  are  either  agents  at 
the  several  stations,  heads  of  different  departments  of  labor,  conductors 
or  engineers  of  trains,  &c.,  whose  pay  averages  about  $675  each,  va¬ 
rying  from  $200  to  $2,000  per  annum. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  there  was,  in  1855,  an  average  of  458 
persons  employed  during  the  whole  year,  from  one  dollar  to  two  dol¬ 
lars  per  day,  or  at  an  average  of  $1  35T8o,  amounting  to  $193,755  ; 
making  in  all  551  persons,  at  a  cost  of  $265,176. 

RECAPITULATION. 

10  officers  and  clerks,  (president,  superintendent,  &c.) .  $15,700  00 

4  superintendents  of  freight  and  passengers  at  the  stations 

in  Boston  and  Worcester . . . $4,340  00 

14  station  agents  on  main  road,  from  $300  to  $500 .  6,  050  00 

II  station  agents  on  branches,  from  $200  to  $500 .  3,550  00 


13.920  00 


60 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


12  conductors,  (passenger  trains.)  from  $600  to  $800 . $8,400  00 

26  engineers,  (passenger  and  freight  trains,)  at  $750 .  19,500  00 


-  $27,900  00 

16  road  engineers,  machinist,  carpenter,  &c. .  13,901  00 

93  71,421  00 

458  laborers  in  repair  shop,  on  the  road,  and  at  the  several  stations... _  193,  755  00 

551  Total  pay  for  1855 .  265,176  00 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  there  was  paid  for  fuel,  which  is  mostly  labor  $151.  475  00 

Iron,  and  other  materials . 166,468  00 

Loss  account,  taxes,  and  insurance . 20,438  55 

Total  cost  of  running  the  road .  603,  542  55 


Gross  income  about  $1,  830  for  each  person  employed,  or  $1,  008,  005. 

Length  of  road  and  branches,  68  miles. 

Number  of  men  employed  for  each  mile,  8. 

Number  of  miles  run  by  all  trains,  541.  528. 

Passengers  carried  one  mile,  25,  736,  826. 

Tons  of  freight  carried  one  mile,  12,  066,  959. 

On  the  Boston  and  Maine  road,  which,  with  its  branches,  is  83  miles  long,  the  number 
of  men  employed  was  683,  or  8  per  mile. 

The  gross  income  per  man  was  $1,  251. 

Number  of  miles  run  by  all  trains,  583,  016. 

On  the  Western  railroad,  from  Worcester  to  Albany,  156  miles,  the  number  of  men 
employed  was  9  per  mile. 

On  8,116  miles  of  English  roads  it  was  12  per  mile. 

On  some  of  the  Massachusetts  roads  it  is  but  6£  to  the  mile. 

You  will  perceive  that  the  number  of  men  required  for  operating 
our  roads  varies  very  much,  and  can  make  your  own  conclusions  as  to 
the  number  which  would  he  employed  on  the  one  you  are  advocating. 

The  amount  of  labor  and  materials  will  certainly  be  large,  and,  ac¬ 
cording  to  our  views,  be  put  to  a  good  use. 

Your  difficulty  will  be  to  agree  upon  the  route,  as  there  must  be  a 
diversity  of  opinion,  which  will  be  all  the  more  difficult  to  overcome, 
because  it  will  result  from  interest  rather  than  principle. 

We  hope  you  will  succeed,  and  that  the  road  will  be  built. 

Any  further  information  you  may  wish,  which  is  within  our  means, 
will  be  cheerfully  furnished. 

Respectfully  yours, 

DAVID  WILDER,  Jr.,  Auditor . 

Hon.  Z.  Kid  well,  M.  C. 


No.  8. 

t 

Office  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 

Philadelphia ,  April  11,  1856. 

Dear  Sir  :  Yours  of  the  7th  instant  is  received.  The  cost  of  our 
best  locomotives  is  ten  thousand  dollars.  These  weigh  about  60,000 
pounds.  Locomotives  weighing  from  40,000  to  45,000  pounds  may  be 
obtained  for  $8,000  to  $8,500  each.  Smaller  sizes  are  still  lower. 
The  price  of  the  machine  depends,  to  a  considerable  extent,  upon  its 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


61 


style  of  finish  ;  that  given  above  is  for  a  plain  engine,  such  as  are 
now  in  general  use. 

Railroad  companies  anticipate  an  increase,  rather  than  a  decrease 
in  the  cost  of  locomotives.  The  prices  paid  in  this  country  are  con¬ 
siderably  below  those  charged  at  the  locomotive  manufactories  of 
England,  and  on  the  continent  of  Europe — chiefly  owing  to  the 
greater  amount  of  work  put  upon  them,  which  the  low  rate  of  interest 
on  money  there  justifies. 

If  it  was  not  for  the  continual  improvements  made  in  railroad 
machinery,  an  expenditure  of  15  per  cent,  off  their  cost,  for  repairs 
and  renewals  upon  locomotives  and  cars,  would  maintain  them  in  full 
efficiency  for  any  number  of  years.  These  improvements,  however, 
make  it  true  economy  to  dispense  with  old  machines,  and  purchase 
new  ones.  This  has  been  the  case  since  the  introduction  of  railroads 
into  this  country,  and  will  doubtless  continue  to  be  so  for  many 
years. 

It  will  afford  me  pleasure  to  give  you  any  further  information  that 
you  may  desire  upon  this  subject.  I  have  great  faith  in  the  importance 
and  utility  of  the  construction  of  the  Pacific  railroad,  and  believe 
that  it  can  only  be  effected  in  a  reasonable  time,  through  the  aid  of 
the  general  government. 

Truly,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  EDGAR  THOMSON,  C.  E . 

Hon.  Z.  Kid  well,  M.  C . 


No.  9. 

Office  Master  of  Machinery  B.  &  0.  R.  R.  Co., 

Baltimore ,  April  9,  1856. 

Dear  Sir  :  I  herewith  send  you  answers  to  the  interrogatories  made 
by  Mr.  Kidwell,  whose  letter  I  enclose  to  you. 

The  average  cost  of  our  first-class  locomotives  is .  $10,000 

Do . do . second . do .  8,000 

Do . do . third . do .  4,500 

Do  not  think  there  will  be  much,  if  any,  variation  in  the  price  of 

locomotives. 

The  average  cost  of  our  first-class  passenger  cars  is .  $3,000 

Do . do . second . do . do .  2,500 

Do . do . third . do . do .  1,800 

Do . do . baggag  cars .  1,000 

Do . do . first-class  freight  cars .  550 

Do . do . do . platform  cars .  400 

It  costs  per  year  to  keep  one  locomotive  in  perpetual  use,  $1,500  ; 
a  passenger  car,  $400  ;  and  a  freight  car,  $50. 

The  average  life  of  locomotives  is  between  fifteen  and  twenty  years. 
Hoping  the  above  will  prove  satisfactory,  I  am,  yours,  respectfully, 

S.  J.  HAYES, 

Master  of  Machinery . 

Fer  Hoblitz  Elb, 


Chauncey  Brooks,  President . 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


Office  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  Company, 

April  9,  1856. 

Dear  Sir  :  Herewith  I  send  you  the  report  of  our  master  of  ma¬ 
chinery  on  the  questions  submitted.  I  likewise  send  you,  by  the  same 
mail,  one  of  our  annual  reports,  which  may  be  of  service  to  your  com¬ 
mittee. 

Very  respectfully,  yours, 

C.  BROOKS,  President. 


Ho.  10. 


Altoona,  Blair  County,  Pennsylvania, 

April  29,  1856. 

Sir  :  I  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  communication  of  the  14th 
instant,  containing  the  following  inquiries,  viz : 

u  1st.  What  number  of  men,  without  reference  to  length  of  time, 
have  been  employed  by  your  company  during  the  last  year?” 

In  reply,  I  would  state  that,  taking  one  month  as  the  average  for 
the  whole  year,  we  employ  4,140  persons. 

“  2d.  What  is  the  average  sum  of  money  paid  to  such  persons,  in¬ 
clusive  of  all  persons,  from  the  president  down  to  the  humblest  la¬ 
borer?” 

To  this  I  answer,  that  in  one  month  we  pay  out  as  compensation 
for  services  rendered  the  sum  of  $109,509  44,  which  yields  to  each  a 
monthly  average  of  $26  45  f&To)  and  yearly  $317  41  xWV* 

Very  respectfully,  yours,  &c., 

J.  EDGAR  THOMSON, 
Per  H.  J.  Lanbaut,  Supt . 


Hon.  Z.  Kid  well, 

House  of  Representatives ,  Washington ,  D.  C. 


No.  11. 

Boston  and  Worcester  Railroad  Office, 

Boston ,  April  11,  1856. 

Sir  :  In  reply  to  your  favor  of  the  7th  instant,  I  have  to  say,  that  a 
part  of  the  questions  which  you  ask  can  be  replied  to  in  only  very 
general  terms,  and  by  estimates  applicable  to  a  peculiar  state  of  facts. 

The  life  of  an  engine  or  car,  as  well  as  the  cost  of  repairs,  will  be 
more  or  less  according  to  the  amount  of  service  done  by  it,  the  char¬ 
acter  of  its  original  construction,  and  the  character  for  evenness, 
solidity,  grades,  and  curves  of  the  track  it  is  used  upon. 

An  engine  will  be  much  affected,  also,  by  the  fuel  used — coal  wear¬ 
ing  an  engine  much  faster  than  wood.  More,  perhaps,  than  either  of 
these  causes,  the  rate  of  speed  affects  the  duration  of  all  rolling  stock. 

With  a  view  to  all  these  varieties,  for  which  you  will  have  to  make 
due  allowances,  I  will  give  you  my  best  estimates  from  my  own  expe- 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


63 


rience,  premising,  however,  that  I  consider  ours  a  first-class  New 
England  road  in  its  general  features,  above  alluded  to,  in  all  but 
curves  ;  in  that  particular  it  is  rather  a  hard  one. 

For  its  characteristics,  I  would  refer  you  to  the  legislative  returns 
of  Massachusetts  roads,  which  I  had  the  honor  to  send  to  you  a  few 
weeks  since. 

/ 

Cost  of  engine s,  say  for  the  last  five  years. 

First  class  used  by  us  average  $9,000  ;  second  class,  $7,500  ;  third 
class,  $7,000.  Weights  varying  from  eighteen  to  twenty-six  tons, 
net. 

The  cost  has  increased  and  probably  will  increase.  The  reasons — 
increased  rate  of  cost  of  skilled  labor,  depreciation  of  value  of  money, 
and  increased  finish,  with  modern  improvements. 

Life  of  a  good  engine  twelve  years.  Annual  repairs  in  full  employ¬ 
ment,  say  running  one  hundred  miles  per  day,  at  a  speed  of  twenty- 
five  to  thirty  miles  per  hour,  $1,500. 

Cost  of  cars. 

First  passenger-cars,  sixty  seats,  $2,000  to  $2,500 — say  $2,250. 

I  have  two  cars  that  cost  $3,000  each. 

Estimated  cost  of  repairs,  $300  per  annum ;  duration,  say  ten 
years. 

Freight  car. 

Box,  eight  wheels,  $650.;  platform,  $550.  Duration  about  the 
same,  say  ten  years  ;  repairs  $100  annually. 

Baggage  cars  cost  $1,000  to  $2,000 — say  $1,500.  Duration  about 
the  same  as  freights  ;  annual  repairs,  $250. 

We  use  nothing  which  we  call  trucks ,  except  as  parts  of  the  above- 
named  cars. 

Yours,  very  respectfully, 

THOS.  HOPKINSON,  President ,  dc. 

Hon.  Z.  Km  well. 


No.  12. 

* 

Office  of  the  N.  York  and  Erie  Pi.  Pi.  Go., 

New  York ,  April  15,  1856. 

Sir  :  The  first  cost  of  locomotives  of  the  different  classes  range 
from  $9,000  to  $15,000  each.  We  cannot  expect  them  to  be  lower 
for  some  time  to  come  ;  hut  anything  on  this  subject  must  he  conjec¬ 
tural,  as  the  prices  are,  of  course,  affected  by  the  cost  of  iron  and 
other  materials,  which  are  very  fluctuating,  and  also  by  demand  and 
supply. 

Passenger  cars  cost  from  $2,000  to  $3,000  each  ;  freight  (box)  cars, 
from  $625  to  $675  ;  cattle-cars,  from  $575  to  $650  ;  flat  cars,  (plat¬ 
form,)  from  $475  to  $525  ;  baggage  cars,  from  $650  to  $750. 


64 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


It  is  difficult  to  say  what  the  average  business  life  of  the  above  is  ; 
in  fact,  they  may  he  said  never  to  die,  except  through  accident,  as 
their  several  parts  are  renewed  as  fast  as  they  fail,  so  that,  in  course 
of  a  few  years,  no  part  of  the  original  machine  remains,  and  yet  that 
which  'purports  to  be  the  same  still  remains  in  all  its  efficiency. 
“  Rolling  stock,”  run  say  100  miles  per  day,  313  days  per  year,  will 
cost  for  renewals  and  repairs  sufficient  to  keep  it  in  permanent 
efficiency  for  use,  from  15  to  20  per  cent,  per  annum  on  its  original 
cost. 

Respectfully, 

H.  RUNNDELL,  President. 

Hon.  Z.  Kidyvell,  M.  C.,  Washington. 


No.  13. 

President’s  Office,  Hudson  River  Railroad, 

68  Warren  street ,  New  York ,  April  16,  1856. 

Dear  Sir  :  During  the  fiscal  year  ending  September  30,  1855,  we 
employed,  on  an  average,  1,238  men,  and  paid  $491,322  36  ;  the  road 
being  144  miles  long. 

Yours,  &c., 

SAM.  SLOAN,  President. 

Hon.  Z,  Kidwell,  Washington. 


No.  14. 

APPLETON’S  11  MASSACHUSETTS  RAILROADS— 1842  TO  1855." 

A  meeting  of  several  persons  interested  in  the  stock  of  various  rail- 
road  corporations  in  Massachusetts  was  recently  holden  in  Boston, 
for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  causes  of  the  present  great  depres¬ 
sion  of  value  in  that  species  of  property— of  examining  certain  sta¬ 
tistics  which  had  been  collected  in  regard  to  the  operations  of  some  of 
the  principal  railroads  in  the  State — and  of  consultation  upon  the 
most  expedient  mode  of  securing  to  stockholders  a  fair  and  just  re¬ 
turn  upon  the  capital  invested  in  these  enterprises. 

An  introductory  statement  was  made  by  Mr.  William  Appleton, 
who  submitted  certain  tables  prepared  by  Mr.  William  H.  Swift,  ac¬ 
companied  by  an  expression  of  views  and  opinions  which  the  meeting 
regarded  as  of  great  interest  and  importance.  It  was  determined  that 
these  statements  should  be  printed  and  widely  distributed. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  facts  thus  presented  will  receive  the  attention 
which  their  importance  demands.  The  reasons  of  the  depreciation  of 
property,  above  alluded  to,  are  obvious,  and  the  remedy  is  in  the 
hands  of  its  owners. 

Boston,  February  4,  1856. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


65 


Remarks  of  Mr,  Appleton, 

The  origin  and  progress  of  railroads  in  this  country  is  so  recent 
that  they  have  grown  up  during  the  business  life  of  many  of  the  stock¬ 
holders,  yet  something  of  the  history  of  their  commencement  may  be 
interesting  to  a  portion  of  them. 

The  legislature  of  Massachusetts,  in  1829,  appointed  a  surve}''  to 
ascertain  the  practicability  and  expense  of  making  a  railroad  from 
Boston  to  Lowell,  and  granted  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  that 
purpose.  They  reported  that  it  might  be  built  for  something  less  than 
four  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Those  interested  in  having  a  road 
built  appointed  a  committee,  who  caused  a  second  survey  to  be  made, 
and  the  committee  reported  in  1831.  The  fact  that  the  stock  was  not 
subscribed  when  the  books  were  opened  for  that  purpose,  might  have 
arisen  from  the  want  of  confidence  in  the  report  made  to  the  legisla¬ 
ture. 

The  estimates  they  presented  were  made  with  great  care,  and  they 
did  not  hesitate  to  avow  their  belief  that  the  cost  of  the  work  would 
not  exceed  the  sum  stated,  viz:  four  hundred  and  sixty-nine  thousand 
two  hundred  and  ninety-six  and  TW  dollars — -the  estimate  being  for 
the  road  from  Lechmere  Point  to  Lowell.  The  committee  said  they 
were  willing  to  express  their  belief  that  six  hundred  thousand  dollars 
would  be  sufficient  to  build  the  road,  and  furnish  everything  necessary 
to  accommodate  the  amount  of  travel  and  transportation  calculated  in 
their  statements.  The  committee  then  go  into  an  estimate  of  the  re¬ 
ceipts,  and  close  their  report  by  saying: 

“If,  then,  these  estimates  are  correct,  the  gross  receipts  for  carriage 
and  tolls  on  the  road  will  be  at  least  $58,514  per  annum.  From  this 
must  be  deducted  the  annual  expense  for  carriage  repairs,  &c.,  which, 
as  exhibited  in  Statement  No.  3,  will  amount  to  $22,424,  leaving  a 
net  income  of  $36,090,  which  is  six  per  cent,  per  annum  to  the  pro¬ 
prietors  of  the  capital  employed. 

“This  may  be  considered  a  small  rent,  not  sufficient  to  induce  capi¬ 
talists  to  embark  in  such  a  project.  The  committee  would  agree  to 
this,  and  would  not  venture  to  offer  a  scheme  which  promised  so  little 
income,  were  they  not  confident  that  they  have  made  their  estimate  of 
the  cost  and  annual  expenses  so  high,  and  of  the  income  so  low,  as  to 
render  it  almost  certain  that  the  net  income  will  be  fully  equal  to 
their  calculation.  And  they  must  venture  an  opinion,  that  a  property 
of  this  kind,  not  subject  to  loss  by  fire,  or  other  like  casualties,  will 
be  considered  good  for  investment,  if  an  income  of  five  per  cent,  per 
annum  can  be  calculated  upon  with  certainty,  and  the  prospect  of  in¬ 
crease  of  business  on  this  road  is  so  good  as  to  render  it  certain,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  committee,  that  the  income  will  fully  equal  the  state¬ 
ment  in  this  report/’ 

Time  has  shown  how  incorrect  was  the  estimate  of  the  cost  of 
making,  running,  and  repairing  the  road,  and  of  the  amount  of  its 
business. 

H.  Rep.  274 - 5 


66 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


In  1835  the  gross  receipts  on  this  road  were .  $64,654  00 

And  the  expenses  of  operating  the  road  were .  1 9, 1 25  00 

Net .  45,529  00 

Cost  of  construction  and  equipment .  1,312,239  00 

In  1844,  from  receipts .  316,909  00 

expenses .  139,293  00 

Net .  177,616  00 

Cost  of  construction  and  equipment .  1,902,555  00 

In  1854,  trom  receipts .  442,497  00 

expenses . 364,478  00 

Net .  78,019  00 

Cost  of  construction  and  equipment .  2,158,932  00 


From  1839  to  1851,  inclusive,  the  corporation  paid  dividends  of 
eight  per  cent,  per  annum  upon  a  capital  of  from  $1,698,496,  in  1839, 
to  $1,945,646  in  1851  ;  since  that  time  the  property  lias  diminished  in 
value  from  causes,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  operative  upon  all  roads, 
which  it  is  one  of  the  objects  of  this  meeting  to  investigate. 

The  Boston  and  Lowell,  Boston  and  Worcester,  and  Boston  and 
Providence  railroads,  were  in  process  of  making  at  nearly  the  same 
time,  and  the  estimates  for  expense  of  building  did  not  materially 
differ.  As  the  business  of  the  roads  increased  in  ratio  with  the  cost 
of  putting  them  in  operation,  no  disappointment  was  shown  at  the  ex¬ 
cess  of  cost ;  on  the  contrary,  the  income  was  such  as  to  cause  large 
dividends  to  be  made  and  to  reduce  the  price  charged  for  carrying 
passengers  and  freight,  and  at  the  same  time  to  increase  their  means 
ot‘  doing  business  by  laying  double  tracks,  extending  depot  accommo¬ 
dations,  and  making  branch  roads,  until,  as  will  be  seen,  the  amount 
of  stock  has  doubled,  and  in  some  cases  trebled,  the  original  estimate, 
and  doubled  since  the  road  was  in  successful  operation. 

But  this  is  not  the  only  difficulty.  A  very  insufficient  allowance 
was  made  for  repairs,  particularly  of  the  rails,  which  it  is  now  ad¬ 
mitted  required  to  be  relaid  in  from  five  to  ten  years. 

For  the  last  ten  years,  while  the  dividends  to  the  stockholders  have 
not  been  large,  the  increase  of  expenditure  for  permanent  additions  to 
the  road  has  very  materially  increased,  and  has  been  charged  to  con¬ 
struction  without  adequate  increase  of  business. 

The  question  occurs,  what  course  should  be  pursued  by  which  the 
capitalist  shall  receive  a  fair  remuneration  for  his  investment,  while 
the  public  are  accommodated.  There  appears  to  be  no  other  than  to 
return  so  far  towards  the  prices  charged  on  passengers  and  freight, 
when  the  roads  were  opened  as  will  effect  the  object.  The  charges 
made  for  carrying  freight  and  passengers  when  the  roads  were  put  into 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


67 


operation  would  be  more  than  would  be  necessary.  The  travelling 
community  will  most  cheerfully  give  a  fair  remuneration  to  capital  so 
invested,  which  affords  so  much  saving  in  time  and  expense  as  the 
railroads  do  in  place  of  stages,  or  other  modes  of  conveyance  formerly 
in  use. 

The  legislature  guarded  the  public  against  extravagant  charges  by 
the  railroads,  by  reserving  the  right  to  take  the  property  after  a 
limited  number  of  years,  by  paying  the  proprietors  their  capital  in¬ 
vested  and  ten  per  cent,  for  the  annual  use  of  the  same,  and  by  re¬ 
serving  the  power  to  reduce  the  tolls. 

By  comparing  we  find  that  the  proprietors  of  the  more  than  twenty 
millions  of  capital  invested  in  the  roads  terminating  in  Boston  are 
to  a  very  considerable  extent  the  same.  We  find  that  many  of  the 
stockholders  have  invested  in  all,  or  nearly  all  the  roads,  whicn  would 
show  that  any  rivalry  between  companies  was  in  all  cases  against  the 
interest  of  the  proprietors. 

It  may  be  supposed  that  the  railroad  stocks  are  held  by  capitalists 
who  would  not  be  materially  inconvenienced  if  the  income  were  re¬ 
duced  or  annihilated.  This  would  be  a  very  great  error,  as  the  stocks 
are  very  much  distributed,  more  so  than  is  generally  understood.  We 
cannot  state  the  precise  number  of  stockholders  in  the  seven  roads 
terminating  in  Boston,  but  we  find  more  than  three  thousand  are  in 
one  company. 

Wishing  to  lay  before  the  stockholders  as  perfect  a  view  of  the  state 
of  their  property  as  was  possible,  Captain  Swift,  whose  acknowledged 
acquaintance  with  the  subject  and  high  standing,  will  give  lull  confi¬ 
dence  to  his  report,  was  applied  to,  and  he  has  kindly  complied  with 
the  request,  and  his  reply  is  now  presented  to  the  gentlemen  whom 
we  have  taken  the  liberty  of  asking  to  meet  us  at  this  time. 

Boston,  January  22,  1856. 

Dear  Sir  :  At  your  suggestion  I  have  brought  together,  in  the  form 
of  tables,  some  of  the  more  important  statistics  of  the  Massachusetts 
railroads,  more  particularly  of  those  leading  out  of  Boston,  and  for  a 
series  of  years — say  1842  to  1854  inclusive.  The  returns  for  1855  have 
not  as  yet  been  printed  by  the  legislature,  consequently  the  opera¬ 
tions  of  that  year  are  not  included. 

The  main  object  to  be  attained  by  this  exhibition  is  to  show  the 
amount  of  capital  employed  in  the  roads  referred  to  at  various  periods 
of  time,  and  at  intervals — say  of  four  years,  the  amount  of  money 
which  has  been  received  by  the  several  companies  for  doing  the  work, 
and  the  actual  cost  incurred  by  them  in  performing  the  same. 

The  tables  have  been  constructed  in  all  cases  from  data  derived 
from  official  sources,  either  from  the  condensed  and  well-prepared 
statements  published  annually,  in  the  “  Railway  Times’’  of  Boston, 
or  taken  directly  from  the  legislative  reports  themselves. 

I  have  added  some  inferences  and  opinions  suggested  by  an  exami¬ 
nation  of  the  facts  as  exhibited  in  these  tables,  and  I  place  the  papers 
at  your  disposal  for  such  use  as  you  may  desire  to  make  of  them. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

W.  H.  SWIFT. 


Hon.  W.  Appleton. 


68 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


MASSACHUSETTS  RAILROADS— 1842  TO  1854. 

The  accompanying  tables  are  compiled  and  condensed  from  the  official 
reports  of  the  several  railroad  corporations  to  the  legislature. 

Table  1  exhibits  the  work  and  expenses  of  all  the  roads  which  fur¬ 
nished  complete  returns — say  for  the  ten  roads  in  1840,  the  sixteen  in 
1846,  the  thirty-two  in  1850,  and  the  thirty-seven  in  1854. 

It  was  not  until  the  year  1846  that  these  returns  were  required  to 
be  made  in  their  present  detailed  form,  hence  the  number  of  passen¬ 
gers,  and  the  number  of  tons  of  freight  carried  one  mile,  cannot  be 
stated  prior  to  that  year  ;  but  from  1846  forward,  they  can  be  stated. 

It  is  obvious  that  no  proper  comparison  can  be  made  of  the  work  of 
one  year  with  another  year,  or  the  work  of  one  road  with  that  of 
another,  without  such  data,  these  two  items  constituting  in  fact  the 
greater  part  of  all  the  work  done  ;  expresses,  mails,  &c.,  forming  a 
very  small  proportion  of  the  cost  of  doing  the  work,  although  they 
constitute  a  considerable  item  in  the  yearly  receipts. 

For  the  present  purpose  it  will  be  sufficient  to  show  the  general  re¬ 
sults  furnished  by  the  operations  of  the  Massachusetts  railroads  for  the 
past  thirteen  years.  Referring  to  table  1,  we  shall  see  the  net  in¬ 
come  produced  in  the  four  years  of  1842,  1846,  1850,  and  1854,  viz  : 


1842. 

1846. 

1850. 

1854. 

Lanital  emnloved _ 

$19,241,000 

1,012,000 

$27,034,000 

1,945,000 

$50,959,000 

3,306,000 

$59,030,000 

3,260,000 

Net  revenue  _ _ 

Net  earnings,  per  cent. 

5.  26 

7.  20 

6.  49 

5.  52 

The  striking  result  shown  in  this  exhibit,  is  the  fact  that  $46,000 
more  was  earned  in  1850  than  in  1854,  with  $8,000,000  less  ot  capital 
employed,  or,  in  1850  we  had  about  6|  per  cent,  against  5^  in  1854. 

In  1846  was  the  highest  rate  of  all,  7-J-  per  cent.  Now,  in  1846, 
121,319,000  passengers  or  tons  of  freight  were  carried  one  mile,  and 
the  mean  rate  received  was  3T^Vo  cents  for  each,  while  the  expenses 
were  lyVA  cents  for  each.  In  1850,  219,717,000  passengers  or  tons 
were  in  like  manner  carried  one  mile,  the  rate  of  each  being  2T<yy?Q-, 
expenses  lyVoV*  And  in  1854,  298,741,000  were  carried  at  2TVo^ 
received,  against  lyVoV  cost,  or  the  net  revenue  on  each  passen¬ 
ger  or  ton  carried  one  mile  in  1846,  1850,  and  1854,  was  respectively 
1tVW>  ItoWj  and  ^tVoV-  These  results  refer  to  the  Massachusetts 
roads  generally,  or  to  such  as  furnished  reports  in  full  to  the  legislature. 

The  same  exhibit  for  seven  of  the  principal  roads  out  of  Boston, 
will  show  the  following  results  for  the  years  1850  and  1854. 

1850.  1854. 

Capital  employed . . .  $24,502,000  $32,938,000 

Net  revenue . . .  2,396,000  2,199,000 


Net  earnings  per  cent 


9.78 


6.18 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


69 


Here  again  the  net  revenue  in  1854,  with  more  capital  employed 
than  in  1850,  by  the  sum  of  $8,436,000,  was  $197,000  less  than  it  was 
in  the  last  named  year,  or  the  rate  of  earnings  was  reduced  38  per 
cent,  in  the  four  years.  In  1850  the  average  receipt  for  passengers  or 
per  ton  of  freight  carried  one  mile,  was  2.82  cents,  while  the  expenses 
were  1.50  cents  each.  In  1854  the  average  receipt  was  2.82  cents, 
same  as  in  1850,  but  the  expense  had  increased  from  1.50  cents  to 
1.82  cents,  leaving  the  average  net  earnings  in  1850  1.47  cents  against 
1.15  in  1854. 

The  aggregate  of  passengers  and  tons  carried  one  mile,  was 

In  1850 .  165,890,000 

In  1854 .  219,799,000 

The  roads  included  in  the  statement,  are  the  Eastern,  Boston  and 
Maine,  Boston  and  Lowell,  Fitchburg,  Boston  and  Providence,  Boston, 
and  Worcester,  and  Western,  seven  in  all.  Old  Colony  is  omitted, 
because  consolidated  with  Fall  Kiver  between  1850  and  1854. 

The  average  working  expenses  of  the  above  named  roads  in  1850, 
were  48.63  per  cent,  of  the  gross  receipts  ;  the  largest  ratio  being  the 
Boston  and  Lowell,  63.44  ;  the  least  (as  reported)  was  the  Eastern, 
41.11. 

The  average  for  1854  was  65.63  ;  the  largest  Fitchburg  being  91.95  ; 
(Fitchburg  consider  $216,000  of  the  expenses  to  be  of  that  class  called 
construction  by  other  roads  ;)  Lowell,  76.38  ;  and  the  least,  the  Eastern 
again,  52.56. 

The  results  exhibited  in  the  tables  furnish  the  means  of  making  a 
variety  of  comparative  statements  and  of  corresponding  deductions. 
The  general  and  important  inference  is  a  very  plain  one,  viz :  that 
while  the  gross  revenue  has  largely  increased  from  1850  to  1854,  the 
earnings  or  net  revenue  has  very  sensibly  diminished,  if  taken  in 
regard  to  the  increased  amount  of  capital  employed  to  do  the  work. 

What  are  the  leading  causes  which  have  brought  about  this  dis¬ 
astrous  RESULT? 

1st.  Competition.  This  has  been  carried  on  not  only  by  roads  run¬ 
ning  side  by  side,  as  between  the  Boston  and  Maine  and  Eastern,  the 
Vermont  Central  and  the  Rutland  and  Burlington,  &c.,  but  it  has 
been  carried  on  by  the  last  two  named  roads  with  the  Western  and  the 
New  York  Central,  for  the  western  or  lake  business,  and  the  same,  it 
may  be  remarked,  has  been  done  by  other  roads  via  New  York,  for  the 
same  western  business,  and  all  this  competition  or  irregular  traffic,  it 
is  believed,  has  been  carried  on  at  less  price  to  the  forwarder  or  ship¬ 
per  than  the  actual  cost  to  the  railroad  companies. 

2d.  An  unnecessary  number  of  trains  has  been  run  by  these  compe¬ 
ting  roads  to  secure  passenger  traffic ;  in  some  instances  four  trains 
have  been  run  where  two  would  have  been  ample  for  all  necessary  ac¬ 
commodation  of  travellers,  and  this,  too,  for  distances  of  hundreds  of 
miles,  day  after  day,  producing  a  larger  expenditure  for  fuel,  repairs 
of  engines  and  cars,  repairs  of  road,  way,  &c.,  than  necessary,  and 
causing  an  increase  in  cost  approaching  nearly  the  ratio  of  the  in¬ 
creased  mileage,  omitting,  also,  all  consideration  of  the  frequent  deten¬ 
tion  produced  on  single-track  roads  to  the  freight  transportation  by 


70 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


these  additional  or  extra  passenger  trains  ;  the  freight  having  to  wait 
or  to  he  out  of  their  way  in  all  cases. 

3d.  Excessive  speed  given  to  all  trains ,  not  only  express  but  accom¬ 
modation  and  freight  trains  ;  also,  arising  from  the  necessity,  in  the 
last  case,  of  keeping  out  of  the  way  of  passenger  trains,  and  fre¬ 
quently  requiring  an  undue  velocity  to  he  maintained  by  the  freights 
between  the  stations  to  effect  that  object.  Larger  and  more  expensive 
machines ,  required  to  move  the  passenger  trains  at  the  increased  speed , 
the  destruction  produced  by  these  heavy  engines  to  the  iron  rails  and 
the  bridges,  &c. 

The  injury  to  both  the  trains  and  the  track,  it  is  to  be  remembered, 
is  not  in  the  simple  ratio  of  the  velocity,  but  it  is  in  the  duplicate 
ratio,  four  times  the  injury  when  the  speed  is  doubled,  nine  times 
when  trebled,  &c. 

4th.  The  very  great  increase  in  price  of  all  materials  required  for 
use  on  the  road  and  in  the  repair  shops  ;  the  same  of  every  description 
of  mechanical  labor,  the  very  inferior  quality  of  all  iron  rails  which 
have  been  manufactured  in  England  for  America  for  these  five  or  six 
years  past,  nominally  cheaper,  indeed,  than  when  we  paid  £10  a  £12 
per  ton,  but  in  reality  very  much  dearer;  the  bad  iron  and  the 
heavier  engines  and  trains,  with  their  great  momentum,  combining 
to  produce  the  most  rapid  destruction  to  the  track,  and  also  to  the 
bridges. 

5th.  The  fact  that  all  the  older  roads  in  Massachusetts  (and  many 
of  the  newer)  having  had  to  increase  their  lands  at  stations,  provide 
more  buildings,  &e.,  and  to  renew  their  entire  superstructure,  inclu¬ 
ding  a  large  proportion  of  the  motive  power  and  the  wooden  bridges, 
and  this  too  when  prices  of  all  kinds  of  materials  and  labor  have  been 
greatly  in  advance  of  prices  of  five  or  ten  years  ago. 

6th.  The  preposterous  principle  laid  down  by  certain  men  ignorant 
of  the  subject,  and  having  a  direct  interest  in  reducing  prices,  that 
low  rates  of  transportation  of  both  passengers  and  freight  is  in  the 
end  more  productive  than  higher  rates  ;  that  more  money  can  be  made 
by  carrying  a  passenger,  say  between  Boston  and  Albany  for  1|  cents 
per  mile  or  $3,  than  if  the  price  were  2^  cents  or  $5  ;  that  flour 
in  large  quantities,  at  25  cents  per  bbl.  or  $2  50  per  ton,  would  in 
time  bring  more  money  into  the  treasury  than  at  50  cents,  or  $5 
per  ton,  &c. 

This  very  acceptable  doctrine  to  forwarders  met  abundant  support 
on  the  part  of  peisons  interested  in  a  particular  kind  of  business,  of 
course,  and  so  of  passengers,  if,  happily  for  themselves,  they  were  not 
owners  of  the  non-paying  railroad. 

In  the  early  management  of  railroads,  prices  were  fixed  rather  ar¬ 
bitrarily,  as  there  was  no  experience  to  guide  in  establishing  the 
proper  rates,  but  we  all  know  that  these  rates  were  very  much  higher 
than  those  of  the  present  day. 

At  this  time  we  do  know  what  it  costs  to  do  the  aggregate  work  of 
a  railroad,  but  in  consequence  of  the  manner  in  which  the  greater 
number  of  the  companies  keep  their  account  of  expenses,  the  exact 
cost  of  transporting  one  passenger  one  mile,  or  one  ton  of  freight 
one  mile,  cannot  be  stated  separately  ;  to  do  this  rigidly,  would 
require  an  account  to  be  kept  with  each  engine  upon  the  road,  her 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


71 


consumption  of  fuel,  expense  of  repairs,  &c.  Hence  the  apportion¬ 
ment  of  the  cost  of  these  repairs  and  those  of  the  roadway  to  any  one 
department  cannot  be  correctly  made,  and  the  same  is  to  be  said  of 
the  miscellaneous  or  general  expenses.  A  train  for  two  hundred  pas¬ 
sengers  w.ill  require,  say  one  engine  and  tender,  five  cars  (all  kinds)  and 
six  men.  A  freight  train  for  two  hundred  tons  will  require  sav  one 
engine  and  tender,  twenty-five  cars  and  six  men;  in  the  passenger 
train  there  would  be,  say,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  tons  in 
all,  and  in  the  freight  there  would  he  two  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of 
cars  and  two  hundred  tons  of  load,  together  say  five  hundred  tons, 
or  the  momentum  of  the  passenger  train  at  thirty  miles  an  hour 
would  be  equal  to  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  and 
the  freight  train  at  twenty  miles  an  hour  would  be  ten  thousand  tons. 
Who  would  not  say  that  both  must  be  very  destructive  to  the  track, 
and  who  would  not  admit,  also,  that  the  “  hammering”  so  produced 
must  he  in  proportion  to  the  momentum? 

Again,  the  cost  of  loading  and  unloading  a  ton  of  freight  (if  in 
large  quantities)  we  shall  find  to  be  about  15  cents  for  each  operation; 
smaller  quantities  at  way  stations,  say  20  cents. 

The  Taunton  Branch  railroad  pay  the  Boston  and  Providence  rail¬ 
road  15  cents  for  loading  and  the  same  for  unloading  per  ton,  and 
this  after  much  experience  by  the  Taunton  Branch  in  that  onerous 
parr  of  railroad  work. 

These  remarks  are  designed  to  show  that  it  costs  much  more  to 
transport  one  ton  one  mile,  than  to  transport  one  passenger  one  mile. 
As  I  desire  to  say  something  on  this  point  by  and  by,  I  refer  to  the 
matter  here. 

The  above  constitute  some  of  the  causes  which  have  combined  to 
enhance  the  cost  of  working  railroads  within  the  last  five  years. 

Having,  as  I  say,  the  knowledge  of  the  aggregate  cost  of  this  work, 
and  of  the  capital  required  to  conduct  it,  it  would  seem  to  be  an  easy 
problem  to  determine  what  the  owners  of  the  property  ought  to  re¬ 
ceive  as  a  return  upon  their  investment. 

Referring  to  table  1,  we  shall  see  that  in  1846  we  received  3  cents 
per  passenger,  or  per  ton  one  mile,  that  it  cost  1.4  cents  to  do  the 
work,  and  that  the  net  result  was  1.6  cents.  In  1850  we  received  2.92 
cents,  we  paid  l  42  cents,  and  we  had  1.50  cents  left.  In  1854  we 
received  2.91  cents,  we  paid  1.82  cents,  and  we  had  only  1.09  cents 
left,  or  we  regularly  declined  in  each  four  years  from  1.6  to  1.5,  and 
finally  to  1.1.  These  are  very  large  desc  nts  certainly.  Now  let  us, 
with  the  help  of  a  little  assumption,  determine  the  probable  cost  of 
transporting  a  passenger  one  mile,  and  of  a  ton  one  mile,  separately, 
and  this  not  for  the  best  roads  we  have  in  point  of  grades,  but  take 
all  together,  the  good  and  the  bad,  as  they  stand  in  the  table. 

In  1854,  by  table  1,  we  see  that  194,158,000  passengers  and 
104,583,000  tons  of  freight  were  carried  each  one  mile  ;  aggregate, 
say  289,741,000  one  mile. 

The  average  cost  of  moving  one  or  the  other  of  these  one  mile,  was 
1to¥o  cents. 

I  suppose  all  will  concede  that  it  does  cost  more  here  to  move  a  ton 
of  freight  one  mile,  including  the  loading  and  the  unloading,  than  it 
costs  to  move  a  passenger  the  same  distance.  The  exact  proportion 


72 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


is  not  known,  nor  can  it  be  determined  by  the  reports,  for  tbe  reasons 
before  given  ;  whether  it  costs  double  to  move  one  ton  that  it  costs 
to  move  one  passenger,  or  whether  more  or  less,  we  do  not  positively 
know.  My  own  experience,  and  certain  information  of  a  tolerably 
exact  nature,  which  exists  upon  this  subject,  has  led  me  to  the  con¬ 
clusion  that  in  general  with  us,  it  does  cost  just  about  twice  as  much 
to  move  a  ton  one  mile  as  it  does  to  move  a  passenger  the  same  dis¬ 
tance.  I  shall  so  assume  it  here. 


« 

Mean  or  average  cost  of  one  in  1854,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  1.82  cts. 

Do  do  do  two  do . 3.64  cts. 

Calling  the  proportion  as  1  to  2,  it  will  be  found  that  one 

passenger  costs . 1.213  cts. 

One  ton  costs . . .  2.426  cts. 


in  other  words,  it  may  be  said  under  this  assumption  in  the  relative 
cost  of  passengers  and  tons,  that  for  the  year  1854  it  cost,  in  round 
numbers,  about  1J  cents  per  passenger  per  mile,  and  2|  cents  per 
ton  per  mile. 

7  th.  This  brings  me  to  mention  the  commutation  or  season  pas¬ 
sengers ,  so  called,  on  the  roads  leading  out  of  Boston,  and  used  by 
these  passengers,  say  from  three  to  fifteen  miles.  It  has  been  con¬ 
ceded  by  nearly  all  the  roads,  and  for  years  past,  that  this  class  of 
business  is,  for  its  extent,  the  very  worst  of  all.  I  think  this  remark 
will  apply  to  all  the  roads  where  the  commutation  principle  prevails, 
and  nearly  in  the  same  degree.  Perhaps  the  Boston  and  Maine  will 
furnish  the  most  striking  illustration,  and  as  it  has  been  stated  that  it 
was  the  only  company  which  refused  at  a  convention  of  all  the  Boston 
roads,  held  early  in  1855,  to  increase  its  rates  for  commutation  pas¬ 
sengers,  it  may  be  instructive  to  see  what  the  company  received  for 
this  service. 

By  the  report  of  an  investigating  committee  of  the  Boston  and 
Maine  railroad,  made  in  September,  1855,  there  is  a  return  of  the 
commutation  or  season  passengers  for  the  years  1852,  1853,  and  1854. 
The  number  of  these  passengers  carried  one  mile  during  these  years 
was  1,672,705,  or  about  560,000  per  year.  These  people  were  carried 
an  average  distance  of  8.72  miles,  and  at  an  average  cost  of  very  little 
more  than  f  of  one  cent  per  mile,  (0.78,)  so  that  in  addition  to  the 
evil  of  not  receiving  a  remuneration  for  the  work  performed  by  the 
company,  there  was  the  risk  of  injuring  some  of  the  numerous  patrons 
of  the  road  in  this  branch  of  their  business.  It  is  at  least  plain  that 
there  could  have  been  no  profit  in  it.  Other  roads  leading  out  of 
Boston  are  doing  the  same  thing  ;  but  I  hope  there  is  no  case  quite  so 
bad  as  this,  for  the  directors  of  the  roads,  generally,  as  I  understand, 
are  striving  to  increase  the  rates  for  this  hitherto  unprofitable  kind 
of  work. 

W  bat  are  the  consequences  of  this  unwise  practice  of  doing  work 
at  less  than  remunerating  prices?  One  of  them  is  palpably  shown 
in  a  small  table  herewith,  (No.  3),  the  date  for  which  will  be  found 
in  Mr.  Martin’s  book  on  the  Stock  Market,  showing  by  figures  to  be 
found  therein  the  great  depreciation  in  the  market  value  of  seven  of 
the  leading  railroads  out  of  Boston,  from  1845  to  1856,  the  roads  being 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


73 


the  same  which  are  named  in  our  table  No.  2.  The  value  of  these 
roads  in  1845,  then  represented  by  164,000  shares  of  stock,  was 
$18,539,000.  On  the  first  of  January,  1856,  the  market  value  of  the 
same  number  of  shares  as  shown  in  the  stock  lists,  was  $12, 279, 000 
only. 

But  it  is  to  be  borne  in  mind,  that  within  the  period  referred  to, 
11  years,  the  number  of  shares  in  the  seven  roads  named  had  been 
increased  from  164,000  to  278,000,  or  that  there  had  been  a  total 
depreciation  in  the  market  value  of  the  securities  named  of  upwards 
of  $10,000,000,  and  this  within  a  period  of  11  years  !  It  is  to  be 
remembered,  also,  that  this  loss  has  not  fallen  upon  the  larger  capital¬ 
ists  as  a  general  thing,  they  having  in  a  majority  of  cases  withdrawn 
their  large  investments  in  railroad  securities  to  a  great  extent.  The 
losses  have  been  sustained  by  holders  possessing  more  moderate 
means.  The  class  of  owners  of  from  five  to  twenty  shares  have  been 
the  greatest  sufferers :  widows,  orphans,  minors,  charitable  institu¬ 
tions,  &c.,  persons  not  in  a  condition  to  watch  this  description  of 
property  quite  so  sharply  as  those  of  the  class  first  referred  to. 

The  remedy  for  the  evil  attendant  upon  the  present  system  of  work¬ 
ing  the  railroads  of  Massachusetts  is  certainly  within  the  reach  of 
the  owners  of  the  property.  Doubtless  there  are  various  opinions  as 
to  the  expedient  mode  of  applying  it. 

To  recapitulate  some  of  the  more  'prominent  of  the  causes  which  have 
produced  the  present  condition  of  railroad  property  in  Massachusetts . 

1.  Doing  the  work  at  less  than  remunerating  prices  ;  more  particu¬ 
larly  in  the  freight  department,  and  in  the  commutation  system  for 
passengers. 

2.  More  mileage  of  trains  than  the  business  in  the  passenger  depart¬ 
ment  will  justify.  If  the  same  principle  could  be  applied  to  passen¬ 
gers  which  is  applied  to  freight,  sending  off  no  more  cars  or  trains 
than  are  needed  day  by  day  for  the  business  offered,  this  evil  would 
remedy  itself ;  but  as  this,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  cannot  be 
done,  let  the  daily  number  of  trains  be  diminished,  by  putting  the 
whole  number  to  be  transported  daily,  say  in  two  trains  rather  than 
four  trains  !  This  principle  applied  to  the  commutation  passengers, 
would  undoubtedly  produce  a  great  saving  in  the  cost  of  transportation 
in  that  particular  department  of  the  work.  For  example,  there  are 
eight  trains  each  way  between  Boston  and  Dedham  ;  that  is  160  miles 
daily.  This  large  number  of  trains,  it  is  to  be  supposed,  the  conveni¬ 
ence  of  the  public  demands  ;  let  us  see  the  probable  cost  to  the  com¬ 
pany  of  doing  this  particular  work. 

The  cost  of  each  mile  run  by  trains  in  1854  on  the  Boston  and 
Providence  road  was  just  1.00,  as  shown  in  table  2;  it  may  be  in¬ 
ferred  therefore,  that  if  four  trains  were  run  daily,  instead  of  eight, 
$80  per  diem  might  be  saved  in  the  cost  of  the  Dedham  business. 
This  is  not  an  unreasonable  deduction,  for  the  1.00  applies  to  all  freight 
trains  as  well  as  to  passengers,  and  these  remarks  in  the  Dedham  case 
being  applied  to  passengers  alone,  would  seem  to  show  that  1  00  per 
mile  run  is  not  too  much  to  place  to  cost  of  that  particular  work. 


74 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


But  I  use  these  figures  merely  for  illustration  ;  there  are  plenty  like 
them  elsewhere. 

3.  Excessive  speed.  Heavy  engines  necessary  to  maintain  this 
high  velocity,  and  consequent  destruction  to  motive  power,  iron  rails, 
and  wooden  bridges. 

4.  Cost  of  renewing  worn-out  rails,  wooden  bridges,  &c.,  and  all 
these  at  higher  prices  for  every  item  except  the  iron  rails,  as  compared 
with  those  of  a  period  five  years  back.  The  rails,  however,  purchased 
at  half  or  two-thirds  of  the  former  prices,  (10  and  15  years  since),  be¬ 
ing  so  notoriously  inferior  in  quality  that  they  do  not  last,  under  the 
heavy  engines  and  higher  speed,  one  half  the  time  that  the  older  rails 
lasted. 

5.  The  fallacy  propagated  by  a  certain  school,  that  an  excessive 
amount  of  work,  at  an  infinitely  small  price,  will  produce  more  money 
than  less  work  at  higher  rates.  Regarding  the  maxim  to  be  true, 
that  “  time  is  money,”  it  is  to  be  inferred  that  few  people  ride  on 
railroads  because  it  is  a  cheap  amusement;  they  ride  because  of  other 
motives,  business,  &c.,  and  they  are  willing  to  pay  a  fair  price  for  the 
privilege,  as  we  know. 

Suppose,  for  example,  that  the  Western  Railroad  should  advertise 
to  the  world,  that  during  the  year  1856,  passengers  might  pass  be¬ 
tween  Albany  and  Boston  free;  after  a  month  of  novelty,  how  many 
would  be  found  throwing  away  their  time  in  this  unprofitable  employ¬ 
ment?  It  is  not  likely,  either,  that  the  number  of  passengers  would 
be  increased  by  demanding  one  or  two  dollars  for  the  ride  ;  nor  would 
the  same  sum,  more  or  less,  deter  any  from  the  journey,  if  business 
or  pleasure  should  be  the  motive  for  undertaking  it ;  in  short,  none 
would  go  who  had  not  some  other  object  in  view  than  a  cheap  ride; 
for  loss  of  time,  if  no  other  consideration,  would  prevent. 

These  are  some  of  the  causes  which,  in  my  opinion,  have  brought 
about  the  great  depreciation  in  the  value  of  railroad  securities.  The 
remedy  is  certainly  within  the  control  of  the  proprietors  of  the  roads,, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  that  directors  will  cheerfully  obey  any  proper 
instructions  tending  to  improve  the  condition  of  their  property  which 
the  stockholders  may  deem  it  expedient  to  give  them. 

Having  expressed  an  opinion  upon  the  causes  which  have  led  to  the 
present  depressed  condition  of  railroad  property,  I  will  venture  the 
further  expression  of  an  opinion  as  to  the  proper  remedy  to  be  applied 
to  counteract  the  evil. 

1st.  To  increase,  generally ,  the  rates  for  all  kinds  of  transportation 
on  the  Massachusetts  railroads,  but  more  particularly  in  freight,  and 
in  that  part  of  it  which  is  usually  denominated  the  second  and  third 
classes  in  the  tariff. 

2d.  That  no  competition  be  entered  into  between  any  two  roads  for 
a  business  which  does  not  in  itself  afford  a  reasonable  profit;  compe¬ 
tition  need  not  imply  positive  loss,  but  we  may  be  assured  that  it  has 
produced  that  result  in  many  cases  within  the  last  five  years  in  rail¬ 
road  transportation. 

3d.  That  the  mileage  or  the  daily  number  of  trains  for  passenger 
traffic  be  reduced  in  all  cases  where  it  can  be  done  without  manifest 
injury  to  the  reasonable  accommodation  of  the  travelling  community. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


75 


4th.  That  the  speed  of  all  trains  be  reduced,  more  particularly  in 
the  season  of  cold  weather,  when  the  risk  of  injury  to  life  and  limb  is 
very  greatly  increased,  and  when  the  destruction  of  motive  power  and 
track  is  so  much  greater  than  it  is  at  other  seasons. 

5th.  That  an  immediate  increase  be  made  in  the  rates  for  commu¬ 
tation  or  season-ticket  subscribers  upon  the  roads  generally  leading 
out  of  Boston. 

While  the  cost  of  all  kinds  of  mechanical  labor,  and  of  materials  of 
every  description  used  in  the  construction  and  repair  of  railroads,  has 
advanced  within  the  last  three  years,  there  seems  to  be  no  reason 
why  railroad  owners  alone  should  be  expected  to  do  their  work  at  less 
than  remunerating  prices.  It  is  very  certain  that  they  need  not,  if 
the  parties  interested  in  that  kind  of  property  will  act  in  concert  with 
each  other,  and  agree  upon  some  proper  and  uniform  action,  the  ob¬ 
ject  of  which  shall  simply  be  to  secure  fair  returns  on  the  capital 
invested  in  these,  to  the  community  at  large,  indispensable  avenues 
of  intercommunication. 

Tables  1,  2,  and  3,  have  been  referred  to.  Nos.  4,  5,  6,  and  7,  are 
also  made  up  from  the  official  returns  from  1846  to  1850,  inclusive. 
They  were  prepared  with  care  for  the  Western  railroad  investigating 
committee  in  1852,  but  the  results  are  quite  as  instructive  at  this  time 
as  they  were  when  the  tables  were  made.  They  explain  themselvea 
sufficiently  without  the  necessity  for  illustration. 

Table  No.  8,  Boston  and  Providence  railroad,  (1842  to  1849,  in¬ 
clusive,)  is  extracted  trom  the  tables  in  “  Railway  Times”  of  June  6, 
1850.  The  same  remark  applies  to  several  of  the  items  in  table  1, 
but  all  are  derived  trom  the  same  official  source,  viz; ;  the  legislative 
returns. 

Boston,  t January  22,  1856. 


Operations  of  Massachusetts  railroads — thirteen  years. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


P 

»o 

00 


O  ©©©©©©©©© 

ooooot-oooo 

MtOOH^NOOOOl'^ 


©  ©  P  ©  ©  © 

0  0^0000 
P  P  o  CO  O  CO 

--------  ------  lr~00©  - 

N^OiOiOtDOnoOiOinOiO«50>n^lMHOO«HHO 
nonoiN^onomwo  .  .  .  .  p  ©  co  ©  oo  P  >— ><m 

P©Pt~C0©cM©Pp<M<MP©©CO©©P©*~©00 

•\  r«  r>  in  t-  r-  »-  n  r-  •  -  50  r-  r-  r,  r.  ■-  r-  a  , 

h  a)  ^  n  tcHrt  wmn  n  n  o  ^ 

©  ©  © 


OO  CM 

05 

CM 


05 

o 


o 

o 

® 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

©  ©  © 

o 

o 

o 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

©  ©  © 

j 

C5 

o 

o 

© 

© 

lc- 

*- 

© 

© 

00 

©  ©  © 

•s 

•N 

V 

•X 

•X 

e. 

<M 

p 

00 

•x 

«x 

-  ~ro  © 

t"  [ 

rA 

e<« 

CM 

CO 

CO 

© 

00 

»o 

lO 

CM 

© 

>o 

40  t- 

t- 

© 

lO  H  £"»  C<l  rH 

© 

eo 

05 

lO 

o 

® 

© 

rH 

00 

© 

rH 

© 

© 

C<l 

rH 

©  i— 1  r-ri  ©  p 

© 

GO 

O 

C5 

T*H 

to 

(M 

p 

o 

P 

05 

rH 

CO 

00 

rH 

© 

© 

© 

eo 

CM 

©  P  t-  .  . 

.  { 

•N 

«s 

• 

»s 

•> 

«x 

cx 

vx 

rx 

»x 

ri  ri(M  P 

rH 

rH 

O 

CO 

<M 

© 

rH 

CO 

CO 

(M 

P  p  t—  CM  © 

o 

p  t—  P 

P  M 

o 

® 

O 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

©  ©  © 

o 

O 

O 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

©  ©  © 

05 

rH 

05 

CM 

rH 

It- 

40 

© 

40 

40 

»o 

P 

CM  ©  iM 

•s 

•x 

•4. 

•x 

•X 

•x 

© 

CO 

CO 

»x 

„  ri  ^  CM  00 

p 

«o 

C<1 

00 

a> 

C<I 

CO 

rH 

© 

CO 

40 

^o 

40 

OO 

»o 

CO 

© 

p  ©  ©  ©  © 

© 

rH 

CM 

CO 

rH 

CO 

rH 

P 

r-H 

CO 

o 

© 

P 

m 

CO 

'H 

CO 

(M  ©  P  ©  CO 

©  | 

50 

o 

® 

iH 

© 

co 

00 

© 

© 

© 

© 

rH 

© 

© 

p 

r- 

CO 

©  M  CO  .  . 

rx 

rv 

*X 

p 

-  -  -CO  P 

p  i 

CVI 

rH 

CO 

rH 

rH 

rH 

rH 

M  ©  P 

00  co  <M 

rH 

1 

I 

o 

O 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

1  l  i  i  i 

1  1  i  I  i 

I  I  l  I  l 

i  ! 

o 

O 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

© 

i  I  l  i  i 

00 

00 

© 

<M 

00 

TO 

CO  P 

CO 

© 

©  r- 

I  l  1  i  l 

• 

00 

CM 

CO 

l  i  i  i  i 

» 

o 

rH 

rH 

r- 

oT 

P 

rH 

© 

co" 

O 

© 

CM 

p 

N 

© 

p 

l  I  I  1  l 

rH 

CO 

H 

© 

00 

C5 

co 

© 

40 

rH 

, 

. 

# 

CM 

CM 

CO 

i  i  l  i  l 

i 

00 

CO 

© 

© 

rH 

H 

© 

© 

© 

00 

H 

© 

© 

00 

P 

CO 

l  i  l  i  i 

* 

I  l  i  l  i 

• 

05 

rH 

rH 

rH 

rH 

iiiii 

i 

rH 

i  I  I  i  I 

•  III) 

iiiii 

iiiii 

« 

i 

i 

i 

S3 

o 

•  pp 

U  G 
S  o 
CV-3 
O  ee 


SQ 

Sri 

t 

F— < 

r o 

73 


o  o 

^  ^  73 


0Q 

•n 

c3 

o 

r— I 
•  rH 

ce  ■? 


Sri 

03 

&c 

o 


as 

o> 


<4-1 

o 


<4-1 

o 


O  o 


Sri  Sri 

<v  <u 

rQ 

S3t? 


0Q 

Sri 

03 

be+a 

G  3 

£  .fep 

§  8 
PriP 

a  a 

o  o 

,u  ,u 

P  P 

02  CO 
-1-5  -1-5 
Pri  Pri 

•  pH  »rH 

03  03 

o  o 
03  03 

E  pH 


CO 

13 

o 

pH 

p 

o 

CO 

H 

<u 


o  o  o  o  o 

73  —  73  73  73 


t 

£ 


CO 

+5 

Oh 


<4-  03 
CO  8 

a  * 

•  FH  r-H 

03  re 

O  -45 

03  o 

E  H 


o 

<13 

o 
p 
c3 
p 

03  03 

.a  v 

t  o 

a  a 

P  P 

o  o 

cc  as 
03  03 
CO  CO 

p  p 

03  03 

P4  Pi 
X  X 

E  E 


03 

o 

CO 


CO 

4-i 

cS 

poo 

O  73  73 
73 

I  '  ' 

i  10 

p  '  p 

3  P  >-i 

^  g  03 


a  02 
03 
CO 

'p  p  03 

°  03  H 
CO  p  " 
03  X  O 
CO  03  03 

p  z  G 

03  72  —• 

A3  45 

X  O  ® 


.+3  03 

p  *p 

03  P 
03  W 

Sri  S- 
03  03 
&  P 

«T  - 

03  02 

CC  -4J 

P  Ph 

2  © 

pH  O 

E  E 


-  -  •  PH 

-  a 

a * 

M  q_3 

—h  P 

03 

pH  03~ 

czf  P 

03  O 
02  03 

P  P 

QJ  •  pH 

P  P 

X  33 

E  £ 


os 

P 

"P  02 

a  a 

p  *p 
t 

4h  4h 
03  P 

fcC  -4-5 

P  4P 

g.$P 

-P  hP 

P  P 
P  P 

4h  Sri 

CO  CO 
03  03 


03 

r-H 
.  •  rH 

03  a 

p  ^ 

^ 

•r  p 


03 


bo  t. 
p  H 


73 

P 


ce  r“l 

°  73 

CO  03 

Sri 


03 


73 

03 

•  rH 

£h 

Jh 

c3 

O 

cc 

£ 

O 

a 

c3 

H 

<D 


P 

o 

pH 

03 

P 

S-H 

o 


03  03 

P  he 


S  be  ® 


P 

©  „ 
•  CO  CO 

P  50  P 
P  0? 


4h  P+5 
CC  *4P  *4H 

03  O  O 


P 

03 

CC 

m 

c3 

Cu 

«HH 

o 


<D 

H 

c3  jc 


’5  ^  5n 

P  03  03 

j  a  a 

%  =>  s  -  _  _ , 

Eh  fc  }Z5  E  E 


be  g 

be  03 


P 

o 

-4-» 

Sri 

03 

P 

S-i 

o 

Sri 

03 

bo 

p 

03 

CO 

CO 

ce 

p 

Sri 

03 

p 

CO 

03 

CO 

p 

03 

P 

X 


73 


P 

O 

-45 

Sri 

03 

P 

Sri 

o 

Sri 

03 

bo 

P 

03 
CO  . 
CO 

e3 

P 

Sri 

03 

Pi 

co 

-45 

P 

•  rH 

03 

03 

a 

Sri 

-45 

03 

* 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD 


AND  TELEGRAPH. 


i  ( 


o 


00C0C2ftft00  00<O 
OHrflCOCOOlOO 

t'lQiOOit'MMt' 

00 

M 

<X> 

MGt'HXHCDNOv2 

rH 

0  0 

O 

CO 

tO(OOtOO^O^»N 

CO 

.  . 

• 

• 

an 

02OTCCt't'05(Nr-i  .  . 

. 

00  C2 

CTi 

02 

^  ~  ~CO  r-l 

rH 

N  N 

02 

-*< 

rH  rH  lO  P— 

rH 

p- 

_  1 

■^ONCOfflOCSiO 

1 

MNO®N^oom 

1 

lOHt'iiOONOM 

'O  j 

..............  ~  co  o 

CO 

0  0 

O 

00  i 

O 

mcOOO’-OMQOHHCO 

00 

.  , 

. 

• 

Q 

OiCJHOOHO'XN  .  . 

. 

t-  C2 

00 

CO 

NNW  M  H  N  CO  Ol  N 

0 

CO  02 

CO 

t- 

d 

•x  K  r.  r. 

rH 

1 

!  O 

- 

CO  CO  H  02 

1 

^  ti 

OOOOOMC2HCOt- 

•^■^COOOiNQOO 

1  CZ  -4^ 

OCiCO'OHOCO^ 

CO 

t  _  M 

..  ..  ..  ..  ~  -  ..  _02  CO 

co 

0  0 

0 

0 

d  s 

(Mt-OOCiCOHCO^iOCO 

CO 

# 

. 

.  1 

1  o  P 

OO  O  02  O  CO  O  SO  I- 1  .  . 

CO  1— I 

CO 

CO  I 

1  -t-i  d 

1  C/2  O 

o  t> 

PQ  r 

OOt'COOO'fiQCONiNr-i 

ft  02  co  02 

I— 1  CO 

rH 

O 

rH 

00 

0  ! 

■d  6 
d  y 
cZ  d 
_  o 
d 

CO  t—  o  t—  o  »o  o  »o 
CONCOOiiOOiOiQ 
Nt'Ot'C2NHCO 

00 

CO 

0  0 

0 

co 

(OOHOOHNN^^O 

C3 

.  # 

• 

HbCOOiOHNCO  .  . 

1' 

CO 

CO 

■+=>  p 

^COHOJCq^NOCOH 

rH 

-f  co 

00 

1  0°  O 

»n  »s  r.  rv 

rH 

CO  00  co  © 

j  pq  p* 

rH 

o b 

(MNCO^rfOONN 

OOOCOCOCOOrHCO 

NCOOiO^NOCO 

J 

1 

I 

0  l 

!  £ 

~  ..  ..  ..  ~  ..  ..  ..ft  ft 

0 

0  0 

0 

co  1 

i  jd 

COr-li--ft»OC2ftCOftr- • 

CO 

•  c 

# 

lOlOlOC2N  02  0DCO 

• 

t—  1^ 

0 

co 

*— < 

o 

OiONNJONNiONH 

rH 

tH  co 

00 

H  ( 

(  •+-» 

•x  *n  rx  r. 

IH 

i 

CO  Tt<  CO  N 

! 

[=4 

I— 1  CO 

i 

COH^NOOSOCO 

1 

^NC0C0C202HO 

1 

Or}(C0  0  02H^O 

! 

W 

•sr.»s«N*>»«r.r.  rH  O 

CO 

O  0 

0 

d  ? 

I0C0N00  10CC0C2OC0 

Oi 

.  I 

o  £ 

ftOOftCOOCOCO  .  . 

CO  C2 

co 

CO  I 

-*->  o 

02-^CIH(Nl>00ONH 

O 

0 

0 

co  ! 

2>  i-3 

,v  rs  rs 

rH  rH 

o  ^ 

rH  C2  0  10 

CQ 

1 

rH 

I 

s  ^ 

CO  M  00  O  O  ^  H  lO 

( 

< 

d 

OSDb  00C2C0OC0 

1  cj  a; 

CO  C2  O  O)  ^ 

0 

r.rN»vrsr\*N»\»v  l/~J  QO 

t— 

0  0 

0 

CO 

r}  .2 

H'#O2O00CCO^T!'H 

CO 

. 

1 

O  (£ 

(N02000COOOCDO  .  . 

# 

CO 

0 

00 

-M  ft 

OONOO^U>’#(N(Nrt 

rH 

CO  co 

CO 

d  1 

C/2 

„  ^  ^ 

rH 

1 

o 

ft  C2  ft  ft 

l 

pq 

i— t  CO 

.  1 

H  CO  O  1.0  ^  O)  C  02 

t 

1 

l 

CT2  t—  COr 1  O  TH  CO  l> 

1 

d 

coco^ocomoo 

r-4 

..  ..  ,.  ..  ~  „  ..  ..  t—  ft 

co 

0  0 

0 

rH 

o 

oo2riNHcoo2iococo 

02 

•  • 

# 

•4—' 

OQ 

CO  CO  CO  1— 1  r— liOCOOO  .  . 

CO  1— 1 

CO 

rH 

HOC'ICOCOCOOO^COH 

rH 

t"  t  ~ 

0 

.X  #x  *x 

rH 

rH 

CO  ■pc  r— (  CO 

' 

rH  rH 

OS  '  '  '  '  '  1  '  '  » 

r-i  1  •  1  <  t  •  •  t  1 

>-<000  •  «  1  a>  a>  1 

°  d  d  d  •  ■  <  d  :d  • 

1 

l 

1 

1 

l  1 

•  1 

1  1 

1  « 

1 

1 

« 

t 

: 

, 

..  I  .  !  1  1  £  s  g  ! 

s  ; 

d  '  '  <  •  <d  d  H  h  0 

0 

.£  0 

0 

•  i 

ci  1  ■  >  >d  S  „d 

rC5 

c3  d 

•d 

» 

a  :  :  :  :  a .  -g  g  : 

s.  ;  ;  :  ;  a  g  -c  s  • 

1 

1 

• 

&  : 

1 

1 

1 

• 

.  ! 

•  ; 
•  1 

© 

»o 

g.  :  : »  8  0  : 

1  !  1  .d  d  oq  d  0 

1 

1 

0 

P  : 

^  0 

1 

1 

0 

j  1 

d  ' 

oo 

1— * 

§ 

<o 

•5  :  :  g.g  §§!>•= 

1  «s  :  :r  5  s-  g  : 

d  ft  •  °  5'*®  § 

§-3’dd£w32d.* 

•d 

• 

• 

• 

0 

d 

d 

0  ^ 

rH  ( 

i  : 
s  : 

d^  * 

rd 

• 

1 

• 

02 

O 

h 

02 

ft 

2  5  8  S  ”  &  «  ® 

*S  ^  3  2  *  S^'AftS 

CO  0  • — 1  CO  P  n  U  P< 

02 

P 

0 

(1 

•+o> 

OC  0 

cu  ^ 

•»-«  JT: 

O  O 

O  O- 

0 

> 

Cl 

>1 

C/2 

02 

03 

d 

o> 

ft 

oOw^ScmHPh«p4 

o> 

<x>  'A 

P3  W 

02 

5^ 

A 

« 

h  C4  CO  ^  0  0  N  00  02  d 

rH 

CO  CO 

0 

rH 

m 

r— 1 

rH 

rH  1 

78 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD 


AND  TELEGRAPH. 


~3 


6 


OO-^HMNNCOiO 

m^^ocoiOMt' 

| 

MOiNt"<#>OXCO 

ri 

CO  «  m  X  C5  ^  Ci  Oi  H 

CO 

©  © 

© 

CO 

rH 

. 

• 

(M 

c o 

CSNOb-OCOiNCS  .  . 

CO  © 

CM 

• 

CD 

-  -  - 

rH 

*-  © 

r 

© 

> 

05  H  H  X  N  O 

rH  rH 

1 

OJ  CO  CO 

>> 

1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1 

1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1 

l 

l 

a  l 

1  1 

a 

a 

1 

1 

3 

o 

o 

f  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1 

i 

1  1 

a 

1 

o 

1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1 

1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  » 

i 

l 

I  1 

l  1 

a 

a 

1 

1 

i  ^ 

1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1 

i 

i  i 

a 

1 

o 

1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1 

1  1  1  1  f  1  1  1  1  1 

l 

t 

I  a 

l  i 

a 

i 

1 

1 

O  4  lO  O)  t»  N  (M  O 

t'OUOCO^iOCOX 

©  © 

© 

Cv 

COXNHXHIOO 

, 

© 

Xfl 

~  ~  00  C5 

© 

CO  CO 

m 

rH 

i  fj  <y 

ONONHXNO^iO 

CO 

r-  © 

© 

m 

!  O  ° 

iOiOH-j(iflOiO(0 

rH  rH 

{  -*-> 

OOOSCOOOO^OTtlMr-l 

© 

© 

co*  C<T  CO 

W  H  CO 

1| 

H®«OOX^N 

NNON®rlTt(0 

©  © 

© 

OOOOJ>HlOMHCO 

CM 

!  a| 

~  ..  ~  ^  ~N-  co 

rH 

CO  © 

CO 

© 

H-tiOffiOiocHHa 

cm 

co  © 

© 

. 

o  ft 

H  T)(  CO  O  X  ®  N  t-  .  . 

, 

rH  rH 

rH 

-H  ^ 

CO  £ 

OiflCONCOOHHCQH 

rH 

© 

o  O 

r.  »s  r. 

Ph  p_ 

CO  HON 

rH  rH 

4*4. 

OXOO^XNO 

fci 

'OCOHHOOfflO 

©  © 

© 

rH 

QOONONO® 

# 

. 

o 

3 

. MO 

© 

©  i-~ 

00 

© 

32 

C-TNCDONOHitM 

CM 

tJC  CM 

rH 

• 

ft 

COO^OOHOX  .  . 

# 

rH  rH 

rH 

o 

t-t^CO  O  CO  X  H  N  N 

© 

© 

-H 

•N  ..  ^ 

s 

CO  N  H  ® 

HHN 

(NHOOXHCON 

COOHNOOX^ 

©  © 

© 

eg  ft 

CT,  05  CO  H  N  IQ  CO 

•  • 

• 

CO 

r*H 

© 

t*  CM 

CM 

CO 

CD 

CO  03  CO  T><  CO  rH  CO  ICO  ©  05 

© 

LO  rH 

• 

o  £ 

O'+COOXNN’t  .  . 

• 

rH  rH 

© 

■S9 

O  hH 

H^COHNCNN^iNH 

rH 

^  ^  ts  ^ 

PQ 

<M  O  CON 

H 

73 

00XHC5000 

c 

CO  ®  (N  CO  X  N  O.  N 

©  © 

© 

Cw 

ONNiQHXHO 

•  . 

• 

rH 

O 

^  «s  »s  •<  >s  •'fH  CTi 

CM 

rH  VO 

© 

© 

3  3 

®!OiOHO>COO®^(N 

rH 

©  oo 

© 

, 

o  *3 

NOXNCONOX  .  . 

# 

rH 

CO 

"S  a 

o  ^ 

rH  CTi  rf'  Cj  rH  CO  rH 

rH 

© 

•s  t.  *.  *s 

!  M 

-+l  00  05  N 

<M  CO 

O5O5-*T|li0©©r— IrH 

©©^<M©COr© 

© 

■^MX-^OCONH 

. 

CO 

i  2 

~..~„~.....©CO 

oo 

CO  © 

CM 

© 

t-~©CO©©©©©00© 

CO 

JT 

r 

• 

rHC000^05(N05(N  .  . 

• 

rH 

CM 

ca 

c3 

w 

t)<1>COCOCOOCOC5COM 

rH 

© 

'ctT  co'cvTco' 

rH  rH 

i 

1 

l  l  I  l  i  f  i  i  I  i 

CO  I  1  1  i  «  a  i  •  i 

I 

» 

a  a 

a  » 

1 

1 

1 

1 

i 

ft  O  O  O  »  •  •  i  <d  • 

O-C'C'iS  •  1  •  •  ft  • 

1 

l 

a  a 
a  a 

a 

a 

a 

I 

rO  1  •  1  <  1  1  •  H  O 

o 

-©■  o 

o 

i 

i 

1  1  1  1  •  1  1  H  ^ 

73 

p  H 

» 

-td  1  1  1  a  1  a  a  1 

1 

.3  > 

a 

a 

0  1  t  1  1  1  t  1  <— 1  1 

1 

c3  » 

i 

i 

[ 

1 

• 

!  3  i  •  •  •  ft  o  O  *H  , 

g  •  1  1  1  c  73  73  R  • 

ft  ,  ■  i  i  £3  i  i  r 

*3  «  1  <  •  —j  •  •  rH  O 

a 

a 

a 

a 

o 

S. : 

aJ 

a 

a 

a 

l 

O 

a 

a 

a 

a 

Tt* 

VO 

CO 

•  1  •  a  1  * 

^  :  :  :.s^o»o  : 

• 

• 

2  ^ 

» 

<D  a 

*73 

a 

i 

•*5» 

3 

CD 

O 

rH 

•2  :  :  :  J 'S  ^  I  si  : 

s  tn  1  1^3  1  5  O 

rt  ^  ;  o  o  c53  d,ft 

"2  ’5  •  3  ^  ®  "to  j£  r  • 

o  «  »  S  3  hn  S  ® 

• 

rH  . 

•  r»  * 

a 

c3 

« 

1 

[ 

• 

<u 

fl 

CD 

>• 

3  o 
u  'C 

CD 

Oh  - 
^  00 

00  CD 

H-J  (jn 

■ 

CD 

P 

a 

<o 

> 

H 

O 

P. 

i£ 

<D 

in 

H  ri  o  ^  c  '-‘-1  A  a 

CD 

£3  a 

<D 

3 

•**  SS  Q.JJ  CJ  W  2  IO  X  Q, 

®  O  tc;  h  ®  B  *  U  h 

®  §. 

Q  rH 

CD 

ft 

0) 

<D  K 

<D 

X 

& 

P3  W 

5zi 

w 

HMCoH©©t-co©© 

rH 

Ol  CO 

• 

'rH 

© 

rH 

rH 

rH  rH 

rH 

rH 

f 


Fitchburg  report  that  working  expenses  are  $431,922  in  1854,  balance  expended  on  new  buildings,  new  cars,  &c. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH, 


79 


No.  3. 


Average  market  value  of  railroad  shares  during  the  year  1845,  and  tht 

market  value  in  January ,  1856. 


Corporations. 

No.  of 
shares. 

Price, 

1845. 

Amount. 

No.  of 
shares. 

Prices, 
Jan.,  1856. 

Amount. 

Eastern _ _ 

18,000 

109 

$1,962,000 

18,000 

46 

$828,000 

Maine  _ _ _ 

23, 000 

112 

2,576,000 

23,000 

84 

1,  932,000 

Fitchburg _ 

18,500 

120 

2,220,000 

18.500 

74* 

1,378,250 

Lowell .  _ _  _ 

18,000 

120 

2, 160,000 

18,000 

63 

1,  113,400 

Worcester _ 

35,000 

119 

4,  165,000 

35,000 

85 

2,975,000 

W estern _  _ 

30,000 

102 

3,060,000 

30,000 

89 

2,  670,000 

Providence . . 

21,600 

111 

2,396,600 

21,600 

64 

1,382,400 

164,000 

18,539,  600 

164, 100 

12, 279, 000 

, 

Diffe 

rence _ 

6,260,600 

18,539,600 

The  above  difference  of  $6,260,000  is  obtained  by  taking  for  1856 
the  same  number  of  shares  as  in  1846.  But  these  railroads  have 
increased  their  capital  since  1846  $11,450,000,  or  114, '>00  shares;  and 
the  average  market  value  of  the  above  shares  in  January  was,  say 
$75,  (71  8;)  now  the  average  value  in  1846  as  above  was,  say  $113, 
(112.9  ;)  the  difference,  say  $38  per  share  on  the  increased  number 
of  shares,  should  be  added  to  the  loss  of  $6,260,000. 

By  the  tables  it  appears  that  in  addition  to  the  loss  in  the  market 
value  of  the  stock,  with  a  capital  of  27  millions  in  1846,  the  net 

receipts  were .  1.60 

With  a  capital  of  51  millions  in  1850,  the  net  receipts  were .  1.50 

With  a  capital  of  59  millions  in  1854,  the  net  receipts  were .  1.09 

So  that,  with  double  the  capital,  and  with  increased  gross  receipts, 
the  stockholders  of  1856  received  38  per  cent,  less  income  than  in 
1846,  and  at  the  same  time  their  stock  is  $38  per  share  of  less  value 
in  the  market. 


80 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH 


No.  4. 

Cost  of  maintenance  of  way ,  and  of  repairs  of  engines  and  cars ,  on  each 
of  the  following  roads,  per  mile  run  hy  trains,  from  1846  to  1850, 
inclusive ,  five  years. 


Road. 

Miles  run  by 
trains. 

1 

Maintenance 
of  way. 

Do.  per 
mile. 

Repairs  of 
engines 
and  cars. 

Do.  per 
mile. 

Total 

per 

mile. 

J\I  tfes. 

Dollars. 

Cents. 

Dollars. 

Cents. 

Cents. 

"Western _ 

3,696,713 

690,049 

18.  66 

547, 651 

14.  56 

33.  22 

Boston  and  Worcester. 

2,063,  632 

321,521 

15.  72 

355, 621 

17.  23 

32.  95 

Boston  and  Maine _ 

1,812,422 

206, 136 

11.  37 

191,209 

10.  55 

21.  92 

Fitchburg .  _ 

1,  557,  937 

127,307 

8.  17 

148,356 

9.  39 

17.56 

Boston  and  Lowell _ 

1,  202,088 

269,440 

22.41 

296,380 

24.  65 

47.  06 

Eastern . . 

1,356, 136 

142,048 

10.  45 

97, 659 

7.  20 

17.  65 

Boston  and  Providence 

1, 165.079 

152,328 

13.  07 

133, 136 

11.  42 

24.  49 

Old  Colony . . 

901,543 

95,  734 

10.  57 

109,318 

12.  12 

22.  69 

13,755,550 

2,004,563 

14.  57 

1,  S79,  330 

13.  66 

28.  23 

No.  5. 

Table  exhibiting  the  quantity  of  work  done  in  five  years,  (1846  to  1850, 
inclusive,)  on  each  of  the  following  roads,  expressed  in  passengers  car¬ 
ried  one  mile  and  in  tons  of  f  reight  carried  one  mile;  also,  the  gross 
expenses  of  each  road  for  the  same  period.  For  the  purposes  of  this 
comparison,  the  cost  of  transporting  a  passenger  one  mile,  and  a  ton  of 
freight  one  mile ,  is  assumed  to  be  the  same. 


Roads. 

Number  of  passen¬ 
gers  and  number 
of  tons  carried 
one  mile,  aggre¬ 
gate. 

Gross  expenses. 

Cost  per  pas¬ 
senger  or  per 
ton,  per  mil® 
carried. 

W  eetern _ _ _ 

213,925,952 

126,499,456 

92,997,700 

82,702,400 

82,227,452 

74  720,643 
50, 118,288 
36, 198, 135 

Dollars. 
2,937,593 
1,899,845 
1,237,515 
1,077, 169 
1.258,519 
985,066 
860,220 
721,912 

Cents. 

1.  373 

1.  502 

1.  330 

1.  302 

1.  535 
1.318 

1.  716 

1.  994 

Boston  and  Worcester . . . 

Boston  and  Maine _ _ 

Fitchburg . . . . . 

Boston  and  Lowell _ 

Eastern _ 

Boston  and  Providence . 

Old  Colony  . . . . 

759,390,026 

10,977,839 

1.445 

PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH 


€1 


No.  6. 

Table  exhibiting  the  useful  effect ,  or  work  done  for  each  mile  run  by 
trains ,  on  the  following  roads  from  1846  to  1850,  inclusive ,  expressed 
in  passengers  and  tons  of  freight  carried  one  mile. 


Roads. 

Aggregate  of 
miles  run  by 
the  trains. 

Aggregate  passen¬ 
gers  and  tons, 
freight. 

Average  num¬ 
ber  carried 
for  each 

mile. 

Western . . . 

3,  696,713 

213,925,952 

57.9 

Boston  and  Worcester _ _ _ 

2,  063,  632 

126,499,456 

61.3 

Boston  and  Maine  . . . . 

1,812,422 

92,997,700 

51.  3 

Fitchburg . . . 

1,557.937 

82,702,400 

53.  8 

Boston  and  Lowell  -  - . . . 

1,202,088 

82,227,452 

68.4 

Eastern . . . . . 

1,356, 136 

74,720,  643 

55.  1 

Boston  and  Providence . 

1,  165,079 

50, 118,288 

43.0 

Old  Colony . . . 

901,543 

36,198,135 

40.  0 

13,755,550 

759,390,026 

54.  12 

H.  Rep.  274 - 6 


8^ 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH, 


o 

& 


tc  - 

cc  cJ 
S  © 
©  © 
Pi 

X  © 

W  P* 


O  Cl  ir-  t-  ^  M  © 


1~~~  tH  r.  CC  Cl  N  N  O 
■^O'^rjiiOTrl'^CO 


TW 


o 

V© 


M  Ul  O  O  C5  O  O  M 

05 

O  T?4  r-H  CjD  H  CO  Ol  H 

CO) 

CC 

O 

ifl  QO  O  rt  ifl  O  N  O 

00 

C/2 

C/2 

o 

P 

h-ONb(»OOrt 

Ic- 

O 

nO!93i»iO«)ON 

t- 

rn 

o 

p< 

OOONONOOOb 

05 

1 

K 

r.  r,  r.  f,  rs 

•» 

© 

Ol  r H  — -1  rH  T~ 1 

o 

j 

rH 

in 

■4— » 

ONXCOOCiOM 

co 

CO i  ©  o  I— 1  ©3  o  co  o 

rH 

•  -H ’ 

rt^tOCOOOrttOTit 

vO 

*\fsFvrsr.rvr.»\ 

«s 

o 

9 

05  ^  OJ  00  to  N  CO  O 

'tJU.OOOOHNOO 

'Ctl 

M^^NHCOCOO 

*vr.rvr.^rvr.rv 

+-> 

tOCONNNNrtH 

rH 

o 

m 

H 

i 

6 

i— 1  ©  ©  Cd  vO  CO  ©  C5 

CO 

Ch 

<§ 

ooc:omoc<io 

CO 

QP 

OWHCOtOOOO® 

a 

-W 

co  as  cd  t—  co*  t—  Kd  o' 

C5 

rH 

bJO 

•  rT 

lOOCilNtOOOiOCO 

1/1 

COOCONHQtOCO 

m 

o 

»>.  »N  »■ 

o 

^H 

CO  r-t  *— 1  rH 

o 

M 

a 

P&l 

4/if 

r-H 

1 

in 

£h 

00  H  00  H  ^  to  O  -H 

<M 

co  r— i  cd  *o  cd  to  i-T  co 

vO 

© 

lOH^ONiOCO^ 

O 

to 

r> 

fl 

«0  ifl  to  o  CO  C5  ifl  oo 

vO 

o 

05'^C5.00>OCO^>0 

rH 

in 

inoiocoojHh 

o 

Cd  i— 1  i— 1  t-H  r— 1 

H 

Ph 

rH 

1 

© 

N  CO  O  O  N  CO  00  O 

co 

r-H 

o  to  o  o  o  tk  co  co 

<NJ 

g 

O 

w 

r.»x»v*x^F.rxfs 

LOC5b»MNOOOOO 

© 

(M  03  C  O  N  «•■  i-  Q 

© 

*> 

r— ^ 

os’rhosir-cd.t— r—ir-c 

CO 

o 

c3 

-4-> 

Q 

cd  to  cd  cd  cd  H  o  co 

05 

s 

H 

HMCJOOCONOCO 
<M  rH 

© 

£ 

Ht  to  CO  O  CO  >0  H  O 

© 

o 

CO^Nb-HCOCOCO 

Tjt 

T3 

fcJO 

■^COCOC30b*03  0 

co 

o 

O 

lOtOtONUOOOTd 

rH 

Jh 

OriXOCONCJOO 

vO 

r« 

c3 

m 

O  O  rt  Cl  1.0  O  Q  OO 

vO 

rl 

*xFv»\*xfs*v»v*s 

»> 

o 

o 

00£-t'-O5C0*-C5Ttl 

oo 

7m 

Eh 

rH  r-H  CQ  CC 

© 

© 

rH 

C^I 

rP 

s 

• 

CCObOClOO'HO 

© 

co 

HrlNCOCOOlOlO 

00 

►*- 

o 

OtOCOHtOlOlCOiCS 

© 

(^4 

bJO 

r.  vk  c-v  9.  ».  Fs 

O  N  (M  C5)  r— 1  O  t-»  CO 

CO 

o 

m 

O  00  H-CO  ^  03  C3  H 

CO 

ClTttCCJ'tOCOHCO 

00 

in 

c« 

•^OiOdOOf-OH 

© 

05  lr—  1—  vO  CO  Tht  CO 

Cfi 

o 

CONONOOtOOCO 

© 

t—H 

H  CO  N  CO  CO  CO  tN'H 

vO 

H 

J>t0-*C50H010 

VO 

M 

»>rx»vr>.tN*s».rx 

«N 

tOCONh-NtOOH 

vO 

w 

£j 

CltOHLOOlOtOO 

O 

a 

M 

tOO»lONMHC3 

*> 

r>  r.  r.  w 

9K 

c3 

H 

H 

CO  N  H  rl  H  H  H 

13 

i  i  i  i  f  r  i  i 

i  •  l  i  i  *  I  f 

i  i  •  r  i  r  i  i 

f-  1  ?  1  »  *  O  » 

1 

1 

1 

• 

l  h  i  i  i  i  O  i 

i  oo  i  i  i  i  os  t 

f 

f 

■ 

;  o  ©  ;  s  ;  3  ;. 

r 

i 

<3 

o 

P4 

1 

2=3  , «  ;  >  rt 

•  ®  3  t  ^  >8  v 

! tJ  *  ri  ''S  K 

Totals. 

1  fl  fi  tD£  g  S 

£j  os  cS  **  ci  ’  C3  © 
JetifcS  gA 

j 

^  S  » cS  c 

i 

Boston  and  Providence  Railroad — 1842  to  1849,  inclusive. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


© 

00 


$3,370,200  00 

354,300  00 

163.600  00 

190.600  00 

145  00 

67  00 

78  00 

214,800 

46.  33 

5.  66 

o  o  o  o  o  o 

© 

©  o  o  o  o  o 

© 

©  ©  ©  ©  ©  >n 

rH 

O  H  K 

©  ©  ©  ©  ^  t- 

t- 

0^0 

H  CO  <M  ©  r~ 1 

i~i  H  N  N 

co  rH  in 

CO  iO  CO  N 

rtt  in 

O  CO  rl  H 

CO 

©©©©©© 

© 

©©©©©© 

© 

©  ©  ©  ©  rH  ^ 

r- 

o 

O  00  00 

©  ©  ©  ©  ©  t'- 

CO 

Ol  (N  dD 

fc—  CO  ©  Hpl  rH 

CO  1>  «5 

©r  © 

TtH  ©  ©  © 

IN  rt< 

O  SO  rH  i— 1 

N 

IN 

©  ©  ©  ©'©  © 

© 

©  ©  ©  ©  ©  © 

© 

OOOOHO 

CD 

O 

O  Ci  o 

©  ©  ©  ©  00  00 

© 

C5  O  00 

tP  00  ©  rl  rl 

©  ©’  oT  r-T 

00  H  00 

©  ©  ©  © 

©  Htl 

rl  CO  rl  H 

rH 

IN 

©©©©©© 

© 

©©©©©© 

© 

©  ©  ©  ©  © 

CO 

O 

CD  0* 

©  ©  ©  ©  ©  00 

rH 

(M  UO  O 

©  ©  00  OC  <N 

rH 

rp  O  (N 

in  co  © 

©  »n  >n  © 

t-  Hfl  rH 

C7>  CO  rH  t-H 

rH 

rH 

m 

©©©©©© 

© 

©©©©©© 

© 

©  ©  ©  ©  ©  CO 

CO 

O 

OHO 

©  ©  ©  ©  ©  00 

<M 

H  t-  00  00  IN 

rH 

©  CO  CO  © 

r—  ©  © 

00  00  rH  © 

CO  Hfl 

00  IN  rH  rH 

rH 

?H 

m 

©©©©©© 

© 

©©©©©© 

© 

©  ©  ©  ©  oo  >n 

CO 

O 

O  <M  -rH 

©  ©  ©  ©  t-  © 

00 

H  O 

H*l  CO  CO  ©  rH 

H  co  in  oo" 

rH  co  in 

rH  CO  IN  © 

co  in 

O  (N  H  H 

rH 

rH 

<5^ 

©©©©©© 

© 

©©©©©© 

© 

©  ©  ©  ©  ©  o 

r-H 

o 

c  oo  o 

©  ©  ©  ©  t~*  CO 

© 

w  00  o 

oo  Til  00  ©  H 

IN  ©  IN  CO 

IN  t-1  © 

©  CO  rH  IN 

CO 

00INHH 

rH 

rH 

m 

00 

hm 

CO 


1— 

r+l 

00 


to 

H* 

00 


m 

00 


r* 

hH 

00 


CO 

rf 

00 


IN 

CO 


Pi 

B 

a, 

•  P-4 

P 

cr* 

<o 

Pi 

p 


CO 


to  p 
fX,  Pi  2 

*fh  rtj)  H 

E  ft  £3 


°  *  *  $ 


3 

o 


w  to 

tf!  CO 


o 

&  v 


d  g 

2  g 
<D 
<D  p-3 

r— <  •*-< 

ig 

Sh  01 
ID  CO 

Ph  ~ 

CO 

to  o> 

■*?  w 
Ph  a 
•ri  S 

Ph 


8 


Pi 

pi 

o 


o- 

& 

o 

P 

P? 

O 

>“ 

o> 

H 


dJ 


-t-> 

CO 


Pi 

O 


Pi 
<D 

o 

u 

ID 

u  Ph 
►» «  •> 
*  ft  o 

„  to  g 

g  £  8 

|7  Cl  Pi 

rX2  (V)  *H 

£ 

S  W 


CO 

c  ri 

?  8 


pi 


84 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD  AND  TELEGRAPH. 


No.  15. 

Treasury  Department, 

Register’s  Office,  June  28,  1856. 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  a  statement  exhihting  the  imports 
to  and  exports  from  California,  for  five  years  preceding  the  close  of 
the  past  fiscal  year,  and  regret  that  the  information  is  not  more  com¬ 
plete. 

The  inter-commercial  State  trade  requested  cannot  he  furnished,  as 
no  account  of  the  same  has  heretofore  been  required  of  the  collectors 
of  customs  ;  hut  it  is  hoped  that  Congress  will,  by  carrying  out  the 
joint  resolution  on  this  subject  passed  at  the  present  session,  enable 
the  department  to  lay  it  before  them. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

F.  BIGGER,  Register. 

Hon.  Z.  Kidwell, 

House  of  Representatives. 


Statement  exhibiting  the  value  of  imports  to  and  exports  from  California , 

from  June  30,  1850,  to  June  30,  1855. 


Years  ending — 

Imports. 

Exports. 

Foreign. 

Domestic. 

Total. 

June  30,  1851. . . 

30,  1852 . 

30,  1853 . 

30,  1854. . 

30,  1855 . 

Total . . 

a$13,  531 
64,  648,587 
alOl, 312 
8,407,701 
5,951,379 

No  returns _ 

No  returns _ 

No  returns  — 
$1,239,419 
1,034,651 

No  returns _ 

No  returns _ 

No  returns _ 

C$2,183,976 

7,189,415 

No  returns. 
No  returns. 
No  returns. 
$3,423,395 
8,224,066 

19, 122,510 

2,274,070 

9,373,391 

11,647,461 

a  Informal. 
b  No  derails. 
c  In  part  only. 


F.  DIGGER,  Register. 

Treasury:  Department,  Register's  Office,  Jam  28,  1856. 


